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Inside​​       
  • The Detroit Tigers fire general manager Al Avila (below)
  • Opinion:Should the Tigers fired the owner in addition to Avila? My column below left
  • Kevin Harvick breaks 65-race drought, wins Cup race at Michigan (Below)
  • Newest The Double Eagle Podcast (MGS Pg.)
  • NHRA Exclusive- Ron Capps on his 2022 season and added duties as a team owner (Motorsports Pg.)
  • Feld Motor Sports and MX Sports Pro Racing Partner to Form the Super Motocross World Championship
    (Motorsports.)
  • NHRA -News and Notes (Motorsports Pg.)
  • Column: NASCAR revamps to get more fans to MIS (Below)

Column: Roy J. Akers

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Its been five minutes to midnight for Al Avila for quite a while now. 

 
Tick Tok. Al Avila has had his alarm clock set for five minutes to midnight for several years now. Avila must have channeled his best former Lions HC Darryl Rogers who infamously looked up at the sky in front of reporters and asked, "What does it take to get fired around here?" The difference between Rogers and Avila is if Al would have looked up, a Pidgeon might have... well never mind. 
   Avila was talked up quite a bit when he was a chief scout for former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski as a potential future GM. I couldn't figure it out. What players did he really scout that made the big leagues that were not first round draft picks? Can't think of one. Either can Avila. 
   When Dombrowski had his infamous meeting with Mr. I and told the Pizza Pizza baron it was time to rebuild, Dombrowski was quickly sent packing. Dombrowski and Avila have done what they have always done. Dombrowski builds rosters and wins. The Boston Red Sox thank him for that 2018 WS title. Avila, he makes bad trades, signs free agents that do not work out for more than a season, if at all. The one Avila trade where he looked to the future and it totally blew up on him is when he dealt Justin Verlander for four young pieces that the Houston Astros did not consider their jewel minor league players. 

For me, the real test of a big-league GM is drafting very well in the first round and finding a jewel from the draft somewhere down the line. Avila has had one decent player that came out of nowhere. Take a bow Tarik Skubal. 

To be fair, no MLB GM hits on all of their first-round picks. Here are Big Al's.
2015- Christian Stewart- Bust
2016 Matt Manning- Still could be a great player. 
2017- Alex Faedo- SP- Often injured. He was given a chance this year due to  several starters going down. We will see but he is not on any list of great future MLB players as done by MLB.com and others. . 
2018- Casey Mize- P- He has shown some promise but often gets lit up in games and now is shelved until possibly 2024 after Tommy John surgery. 
2019- Riley Greene- Of- Returned to the Tigers lineup after hurting his ankle after a fantastic spring training in 2022. He has yet to regain his form. 
2020- Spencer Torkelson- He did not play in 2020 due to Covid killing the MLB minor league season. He was so-so last year but inexplicably given a roster spot in the offseason. Poor play has him in Toledo. If he has a great career, give Avila some credit. 
The 2021 picks of Jackson Jobe P and Jace Jung Inf. are too fresh for my opinion. . 
So, where does this Al Avila era stand?

Both Christopher Illitch and Avila told the fans and press that this was the year the Tigers should contend. For me, it was funny. If my optimism could be an emoji, the LOL picture would come up. This team was not ready. True rookies in Greene and Torkelson, young vets like Skubal and Mize are not ready and the players around them did not represent difference making MLB talent. 
The fans have spoken. The Tigers are 21st in MLB attendance. They barely average 21k per game. The old days of buying tickets from scalpers are largely gone. When I look around the stadium and see empty pockets of stands from the expensive seats to those in the outfield, it looks like creative accounting in reporting stadium attendance. 
One question for you. Has Chris Illitch been a good owner? Did Illitch and Avila cook up this imaginary contending season or are they out of their depth as MLB caretakers? Bet you Illitch is as incompetent at his job as Avila was at his. 

NASCAR revamps to get more fans to MIS

     NASCAR went from an organization that was slow to change to one that is changing on the fly. 
     If you are the operator of a track that draws fans and plenty of them, your two track dates are safe. If you do not, NASCAR's desire to change to a modern fan racing destination will claim at least one of your two dates or eliminate you altogether. 
   Fans at Chicagoland Speedway found out they are no longer on the schedule. 
Kentucky lost their only date and Michigan International Speedway has only one place on the schedule after two dates since NASCAR first raced at the track dating to its first year in 1969. 
For MIS, this is a good thing for now. There are more fans at the track. Management has apparently looked at everything and scrapped their Saturday concert and fireworks show and now has an XFinity and Arca race, NASCAR practice and three qualifying events spread throughout the day. The fans have noticed and attendance is much better. 
As for the powers that be, NASCAR has expanded their racing portfolio from having only two road courses until 4-5 years ago. Now rovals and road courses are everywhere on the schedule. A dirt race now takes up one of two Bristol dates. Bristol fans started not showing up and this was unthinkable just a decade ago. With NASCAR responding to the popularity of dirt racing in the World of Outlaws and Kyle Larson and other top drivers loving the change. Now, add the Chicago Street course date for 2023 and the NASCAR schedule has changed to a buffet of racetracks. Perhaps the most successful change is the Busch Light Clash at the Colesium in Los Angeles. Now, NASCAR has went to a non-established market and crushed it in year one adding fans that went in droves to a non-traditional market. 

     When speaking with Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, he agreed with me and said that the new tracks are adding fans. When asking him if the Indy Brickyard 200 roval course had no fans (he said he heard there were between 15 and 30k.) When you are at the cathedral of racing with room in the stands in upwards of 400k, it looks like no one is there. Pockrass hopes NASCAR goes back to the oval races and skips the road course. Some press hope they do both the roval and the Brickyard oval. 
The one thing that has been impressive about the schedule changes is NASCAR has added the Charlotte road course as the elimination race in round 12 and Martinsville in the elimination race to determine the final four. 
For someone who believes NASCAR had to make changes to meet the next generation of fans, the schedule changes are an attempt to meet the needs of the organization going forward. Will the fans flock back to the tracks with waning attendance and fill new places? That is the 210mph question. RJA

Are the Rockets still flaring for Rocket Mortgage Classic?

The Rocket Mortgage is a well-run tournament. 
They think of about everything. A nice souvenir tent by the main gate. Sure. 
A 3-1-3 celebrity tournament that is as good as any on the PGA Tour. 
The John Shippen Tournament largely reaches African American golfers both male and female who have game with exceptions into LPGA events and this event. The Wifi initiative is also a great touch. 
So, where is everyone? 
The weather was perfect. The volunteers are great. The golf was terrific. 

   Where the rubber meets the road is the PGA Tour has a big problem. About 15 of the world's top 50 have went to the LIV, and many of those players have played in one of the first three editions of this tournament and do many do drive ticket sales. In 2019, Bryson DeChambeau won the second Rocket tournament. But many are gone. Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Luis Oosthuisen, Phil Mickelson, DeChambeau and several more who have played in at least one event, are no longer playing or are banned by orders of the commissioner. 
Now, Warwick Hills and the old Buick Open, drew huge crowds. They also did not have deluded fields. They also had Tiger Woods show up most years. Heck, Tiger won the event four times.

For me, it was noticeable that there were far less people at this event than the first event in 2018. The tournament staff is selling tickets all year long. Detroit, it's time to step up. This is one event that plenty of cities would like to have. Just ask the Washington D.C. area. The Rocket Mortgage organizers sponsored this tournament in D.C. in 2017 with the intent of bringing the event here. Just saying. 
When a rookie is not ready and what to do about it
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     Man, I hope the Detroit Tigers rookie Spencer Torkelson makes it. The Tigers need a team full of rookies as heralded as Torkelson to dot their roster up and down and become productive MLB players. 
My suspicion from the Tigers this past winter is they wanted both Riley Green and Tork to be the show pieces for the franchise from the positional side of the ball. Torkelson was taken number one in 2020 and with Covid and Avila's philosophy of getting the player physically ready to play minor league ball, Spencer never got the chance to play. 
   In 2021, he played at three different rungs in the Tigers organization and hit a combined 30 dingers, 91 RBI's and a .267 average, 
     Still Avila and the other front office types assured us both Greene and Torkelson were ready. 
Mind you, in Spencer's case, a ,267 batting average will scare few, if any MLB pitchers. 
Torkelson hit 3 homeruns in April with several RBI's but the strikeouts piled up. So did the long bouts of few extra base hits let along hitting long homeruns. 

   It was obvious that Torkelson needed more seasoning and it was noticable early. Why did Avila keep him up in the show? He mentioned Tork's handy defense. Is Miggy that bad at first base? How about Jonathan Schoop or anyone else on the roster? 
Tork should have been playing in the minors this season grinding up most minor league pitching and perhaps he would have been in much better shape to take on MLB pitching. Instead, he got his hat handed to him and will have to try and sort it out in the minors. He should have been doing that all along.
 

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Heading into the final round with a four-stroke lead, Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas (Team Youth on Course) carded a four-ball 61 to win the third edition of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational at Midland Country Club. The two, who went 2-0-1 as partners during the U.S. Solheim Cup, never gave up the lead on Saturday and finished at -26, five strokes ahead of the nearest team. This is Kupcho’s third victory of the 2022 season, and second in the state of Michigan after also winning the Meijer LPGA Classic.
“I think after I got my first win, I felt a lot more confident in my game. It's so hard to win out here, so to know that I could do it, I think that kind of helped my confidence. And then to get the second win against a really stacked leaderboard and a playoff at Meijer, it made me all that more comfortable,” said Kupcho, the first player to reach three wins this year. “I think that's kind of how amateur golf was for me. I started out really slow, and then I was able to win and kind of just went off on it. It is a lot of fun to win and I am a very competitive person.”
This is Salas’ second career victory on Tour and first since the 2014 Kingsmill Championship, a span of 8 years, 1 month and 28 days. She’s the fifth different American to win this season and the 42nd player in Tour history to cross the $7 million mark in career earnings. Salas, who made six birdies total on her side of the scorecard, said the win was the perfect way to celebrate her birthday eve.
“It's been a long time. I couldn't have done it without her. You know, she's a great competitor, a great friend and an amazing partner on the golf course. We played some amazing golf this week. My job was, or my goal was to play well for her. We showcased how our games can complement each other,” said Salas, who turns 33 on Sunday. “But for myself to finally get another win after eight years, it's been a long journey, lots of up and downs, and just really happy.”
Playing alongside Team YOC in the day’s final grouping, Matilda Castren and Kelly Tan (Finasia) finished solo second at -21 overall after recording an 8-under 62 on Saturday. This is Castren’s second runner-up performance on Tour and is Tan’s career-best finish. Castren and Tan, who both played in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics representing Finland and Malaysia respectively, called the event an “unbelievable week.”
“It's just so awesome that I got to do it with my best friend, Matilda, and, yeah, to have my best finish on the LPGA Tour and being able to have so much fun on the week as well. That was amazing,” said Tan. “I can't ask for anything else.”
Team TexMex, made up of U.S. Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis and Dow ambassador Maria Fassi, recorded the second round of 59 of the 2022 tournament to finish solo third at -20. This is Fassi’s career-best finish on Tour since becoming a rookie in 2019, and Lewis’ best since her win at the 2020 Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open. Elizabeth Szokol and Cheyenne Knight (Elizabethan Knight's) and Haeji Kang and Tiffany Chan (HK2) tied for fourth at -19, while two rookie teams finished in a tie for sixth at -18: Hye Jin Choi and Na Rin An (Team Dynamite) and Pauline Roussin and Dewi Weber (French Fry and Apple Pie).
“Most of all we just had a lot of fun, and I think sometimes, especially being a rookie and everything is kind of new, I think I personally lose perspective of how cool it is that we're here,” said Weber. “A week like this where the format is just a little bit more relaxing, I definitely found my groove back.”
Sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda (Team Jelly) along with Karis Davidson and Daniela Darquea finished in a tie for eighth at -17, while five teams tied for 10th at -16, including major champion Sophia Popov and best friend Anne van Dam (Pop Dam Bottles).
KELLY TAN EARNS BEST FINISH THANKS TO FRIENDSHIP FORMED FROM ADVERSITY Kelly Tan and Matilda Castren met while the two were playing on the Epson Tour in 2018. Sharing car rides between events, chatting at the clubhouse, and playing together, the two formed a close friendship due to similar struggles they shared on the course. Four years later, they are best friends and runners-up of the 2022 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.
“If you were to wind back the clock and tell us, ‘You guys are going to be playing this tournament and you're going to finish second,’ I think it would be really hard for both of us to believe because we were really just at the lowest point of our careers,” Tan said. “It feels really good that we got out of that hole and were able to compete at such high level and finish second this week, proving to us that we could do it.”
The pair shot an 8-under 62 in Saturday’s final round to finish the Dow GLBI at -21. Just 2-under on the day heading into the back nine, Team Fin-Asia kicked it into high gear, shooting six more birdies coming home.
Heading into 18, the two were tied for second with veterans Maria Fassi and Stacy Lewis. But a share of the prize wasn’t good enough for Castren. Their last birdie came on the final hole, thanks to a spectacular 9-iron tee-shot from Castren that nearly found the bottom of the cup.
“I actually told my caddie on 17 that I wanted a solo second,” Castren said. “He told me, ‘Better stick it close on 18 and you won't have to worry about it’ and I did. It was actually close to going in, so it was just a very cool experience and cool moment for us. You just can't ask for anything better on your last hole. We knew we had a birdie walking up to the green. We had our walk-up song. It was a great feeling that we'll remember forever.”

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Kyle Troup Wins 2021 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year Award

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​​New York, N.Y.—On the strength of winning two Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour titles and setting the all-time single-season earnings record, Kyle Troup was named the 2021 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year. Troup received the overwhelming majority of votes from PBA membership and veteran bowling writers, with François Lavoie finishing a distant second and Chris Via close behind Lavoie in third.   “Winning Player of the Year was one of my goals coming into the season,” said Troup. “In 2020, I won three titles and realized I might be closer than I thought to having a shot at it. I put a lot of work in at the end of the 2020 season that got me mentally prepared to shoot for winning a major and Player of the Year.”   In 2021, Troup won the season-opening PBA Players Championship for his first major title, banking a PBA record-tying $250,000 first prize for the win. Troup also won the PBA Playoffs for his eighth career title, tying the total his father, Guppy, amassed on the PBA Tour.   “To catch my father with eight titles was such a humbling, great experience for my family and me,” said Troup. “One of my goals for next season is to pass Gup. I need to put the time in and keep working hard, but I think eventually I’m going to be the boss of the family when it comes to bowling.”   One of three players, along with Tom Daugherty and Shawn Maldonado, to win two titles in 2021, Troup also finished fifth in the Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship and seventh in the Kia PBA Tournament of Champions, giving him three top-10 finishes in majors among nine top 10s overall. Troup also posted three runner-up finishes during the season.   “I need to stay present,” said Troup. “It’s a humbling feeling to join the list of great bowlers who have earned this honor, but now I need to work even harder, get smarter and get tuned up for the beginning of the year if I want to stay on top. There are a lot of guys who can pop off three or four wins in a season, so 2022 might be the toughest yet to win Player of the Year.”   In 2021, Troup competed in 16 events and led all players in competition points (19,922.5) and earnings ($496,900), breaking the previous PBA record of $419,700 set by Walter Ray Williams Jr. during the 2002-2003 season.   “I’ve always wanted to win titles, majors and get into the Hall of Fame, but to hold a record?” said Troup. “That’s one thing I never really dreamed about. And to pass Walter Ray, one of the best ever to throw a bowling ball, is a special moment. It’s very nice to have but I want to see the record broken in the future. I want to see someone win a million dollars in a year.”   Troup will begin the 2022 season as the defending champion in the PBA Players Championship, which begins with the regional qualifying rounds on January 15.

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Lions rookie RT Penei Sewell earns high praise from PFF

Max Gerber
Fri, December 10, 2021, 9:57 AMDetroit Lions rookie Penei Sewell is no stranger to accolades. As the consensus best offensive lineman in the 2021 draft, it was a no-brainer that the Lions had to draft him in the first round when he fell into their laps.
Now, Sewell is wasting no time in making waves in the NFL.
Per Pro Football Focus, Sewell is the second-highest graded offensive lineman in the league since Week 6, with the only player ahead of him being eight-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams.
Sewell has allowed 5 sacks all season, with only one of those being in the last four games since the bye week and moving to right tackle. Holding his own against some of the top edge rushers in the NFL such as Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt, it’s clear why PFF made him their All-Pro right tackle.
Many had their reservations about Sewell starting at right tackle given that he had never played the position before. The rookie handled the position change like a true pro and looks like a natural on the right side. Now paired with Taylor Decker, the Lions could have solid bookends on their line for years to come.
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Fourth annual PGA TOUR Champions event generates more than $1.3 million  for charity in southeastern Michigan and beyond

By Tom Sprouse
​GRAND BLANC, Mich.
 – Tournament officials announced today that the fourth playing of The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren, concluded August 29, 2021, at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, raised $1,315,678 for charitable organizations in southeastern Michigan and beyond. The 2021 amount surpasses the $1 million dollar mark for the second time in the event’s brief history.
 Since its inception in 2018, The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren has donated a total of more than $4.5 million to support of local charities in the greater Flint area and beyond.
 The total includes $440,000 for the tournament’s primary beneficiary, United Way of Genesee County (UWGC).
 “These funds will do so much good for the people in this community through the work of the beneficiaries like the United Way,” said Alison Summerville, Business Administration executive and head of Corporate Citizenship at Ally. “I’m tremendously proud of how the Ally, McLaren and tournament teams came together to achieve such outstanding results this year under continued COVID-related pressures.”
 
"The significant charitable dollars raised through the unwavering commitment of sponsors, organizers, volunteers and patrons are a true testament to the value this tournament delivers to our region,” said Kevin Tompkins, Senior Vice President of Marketing at McLaren Health Care. “These funds will benefit thousands of families in meeting basic needs during these challenging times. McLaren could not be prouder to partner with Ally Financial, Warwick Hills, the PGA TOUR and HNS Sports Group to deliver an event that makes such a positive impact on people's lives."
 
UWGC has operated in the community for nearly 100 years providing support addressing educational outcomes, health access, financial stability and the basic needs of its residents; the UWGC leverages donations from more than 200 workplace campaigns and individual investors to support over 150 programs. Last year dollars raised impacted over 100,000 lives representing every zip code of Genesee County.
 
The tournament’s investment will help support over 18 programs in Genesee County, impacting more than 20,000 individuals through the three priority areas: Financial Literacy, Housing and Employment.
 
“Thank you to all the fans, players and sponsors who attended the 2021 Ally Challenge,” said, James Gaskin, CEO, United Way of Genesee County. “Your participation is helping homeless veterans get back on their feet at My Brother’s Keeper; supporting minor home repairs with Habitat for Humanity; teaching kids the importance of fiscal management; and 15 other crucial programs helping our most vulnerable neighbors. A very special thank you to Ally and McLaren for this opportunity to impact our community”.
 
Birdies for Charity presented by Ally accounted for $601,072 of the total donation thanks to 862 birdies recorded by PGA TOUR Champions players during competitive rounds at The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren. A total of 17 qualified Michigan 501(c)(3) charities participated in the program in 2021. This unique program is a grassroots charity platform, now in its fourth year, that serves as an extension of the tournament’s mission to positively impact non-profit organizations in the greater Flint area.
 The Ally Challenge’s newest philanthropic initiative, Tickets FORE Charity, was responsible for $5,000 of the tournament’s overall donation. Tickets FORE Charity provides an opportunity for non-profits participating in Birdies for Charity presented by Ally to earn additional dollars for their cause based on attendance during the final round of The Ally Challenge.     
 The total also includes $100,000 to four charities ($25,000 each) designated by the celebrities who participated in the 2021 Celebrity Shootout. A number of additional, predominantly local, charities will share the remaining $169,606 in varying amounts.
 Overall, more than 20 charities benefitted from The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren in 2021.
 The continued growth of The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren’s philanthropic impact on the community was ensured on September 14, 2019, when the tournament announced a five-year extension of their agreements with title sponsor Ally Financial Inc., presenting sponsor McLaren Health Care, host venue Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, and the tournament’s agreement with the PGA TOUR. The extensions guarantee The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will continue as a PGA TOUR Champions event played at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club through 2025.
 “The tradition of giving this tournament has established in the southeastern Michigan community is inspiring,” said Matt Stepnes, The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren tournament director. “On behalf of HNS Sports Group and our tournament staff, I would like to thank Ally Financial, McLaren Healthcare and all our sponsors for helping make the gift of these funds a reality. The competition on the course and the energy of tournament week this year was incredible, but it’s the sincere and sustaining impact created by the dollars raised for charity that’s most important ¾ and the tournament is committed to growing that charitable spirit for years to come.”
 The 2022 Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will take place the week of August 22 – 28 at renowned Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club.

UM moves up after beating OSU

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​Poll Position: Where Michigan stands in AP, Coaches polls after OSU win 
​Adam Schnepp • TheMaizeAndBlueReview
Senior EditorMichigan is on the move in the polls once again, this time rising multiple spots in both the AP Top 25 and the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. Michigan rose four spots in the AP Top 25 poll to #2 and three spots in the Coaches Poll to #3. This is the highest Michigan has been ranked to finish a regular season since being ranked #3 in the AP Top 25 in 2006.
College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday evening. Michigan travels to Indianapolis to take on Iowa for the Big Ten championship this Saturday at 8 PM

EMU-WMU set to duel in key MAC Action

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Who is ready for more #MACtion? The Eastern Michigan-Western Michigan football game, scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 16, will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN2, the Mid-American Conference announced today, Nov. 11. WEMU (89.1 FM) will provide audio coverage of the game from Rynearson Stadium.

Prior to the contest, EMU will honor 13 student-athletes and three student assistants that have had a significant impact on the program. Fans will want to arrive early to help celebrate Bryson Cannon, Jake Donnellon, Jawon Hamilton, Jeff Hubbard, Jake Julien, Alvinoksi LaFluer, Freddie McGee, Terry Myrick, Thomas Odukoya, Turan Rush, Woo Scott, Mike Smith Jr., and Mike VanHoeven along with managers Kyle Ranson, Leah Smith, and Alex Tizedes.

Eastern Michigan (6-4, 3-3 MAC) is looking to bounce back after a tough, 34-26, setback at the hands of Ohio, Nov. 9. Meanwhile, the Broncos (6-4, 3-3 MAC) narrowly avoided an upset loss as it used a fourth-quarter comeback to escape, 45-40, versus Akron on the same night.

A win over Western Michigan would move Eastern Michigan to 7-4 on the season. EMU has not won seven of its first 11 games in a season since 1989. Additionally, with two games remaining, EMU has the chance to get to eight regular-season wins for the first time since the 1987 season, when it finished with nine regular-season wins en route to the school's only football MAC championship.

EMU's first game against an in-state rival also means the beginning of its quest for the "Michigan MAC Trophy." Given annually to one of the Michigan-based, Mid-American Conference institutions (EMU, WMU, CMU), the trophy is awarded to the team which has the best head-to-head record against each other. It is one of just two regularly-awarded trophies between three teams (the other is the Commander-in-Chief's trophy between Army, Navy, and Air Force).

Originated in 2005, EMU has claimed ownership four times (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012). Western Michigan has retained the trophy in each of the last three seasons.

Since the start of the 2008 campaign, Eastern Michigan has been a part of 131 televised games. A total of 92 of those small-screen appearances have occurred on the ESPN-family of networks (45 ESPN3, 18 ESPN+, 9 ESPNU, 5 ESPN2, 5 ESPN Regional, 4 SEC Network, 3 ESPN, 1 ESPNews, 1 ESPN Classic, and 1 ABC). Eastern has also been a part of 14 nationally televised games on CBS Sports Network

Kenneth Walker III's 5 touchdowns help Michigan State rally past Michigan in thriller

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Matt Charboneau of
The Detroit News
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East Lansing — It was billed as one of the biggest games in the history of the rivalry, and on Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium, neither No. 6 Michigan nor No. 8 Michigan State disappointed.
Michigan State, down 16 in the third quarter, came storming back behind the running of Kenneth Walker III to pull out the 37-33 victory in front of a packed house of 76,549 to beat Michigan for the second straight season and remain unbeaten after freshman Charles Brantley’s interception with a minute to play iced the game.
Walker ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns, helping wake up a stagnant offense while staking his claim in the Heisman Trophy race. His play helped the Spartans (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) overcome two first-half turnovers as coach Mel Tucker became the first coach in Michigan State history to win his first two games against Michigan after last season’s 27-24 win in Ann Arbor.

Eastern Michigan scores 55 points, soars past Bowling Green

​Bowling Green, Ohio — Ben Bryant passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third and Eastern Michigan rolled to a 55-24 win over Bowling Green on Saturday.
The Eagles (5-3, 2-2 Mid-American Conference) scored three touchdowns in both the second and third quarters.
Bryant had a 31-yard scoring pass to Bryson Cannon and his touchdown run in a second quarter that was highlighted by David Carter’s 42-yard punt return for a touchdown. That helped Eastern Michigan take a 24-10 lead at the half.
Bryant connected with Gunnar Oakes for a 37- yard score in the third quarter and Darius Boone ran for a score before running back Samson Evans found Dylan Drummond for a 16-yard score, set up when the Falcons lost a fumble on the kickoff.
Backup quarterback Preston Hutchinson had a touchdown pass to Thomas Odukoya in the fourth quarter.
Bryant was 20-for-26 passing for 286 yards.
Nate Needham’s field goal to open the scoring for Bowling Green (2-7, 0-4) made him 14 of 14 on the season.
More games► Northern Illinois 39, (at) Central Michigan 38: Former MSU quarterback Rocky Lombardi threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns and freshman Kanon Woodill kicked the go-ahead field goal with under a minute to go in his first collegiate action to give Northern Illinois a come-from-behind win.

Is Detroit OT Taylor Decker a realistic trade target for Dolphins?

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Kyle Crabbs

Miami Dolphins fans everywhere have appeared to collectively smashed the “panic” button as it pertains to the team’s offensive line play after a disastrous Week 2 performance that pushed the Dolphins’ record to 1-1 and left them without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the foreseeable future. These are not ideal times — and just one week after a major AFC East win over New England elated the fanbase, we find ourselves as the complete opposite end of the spectrum in the buildup to Week 3.
And with 2020 draft choice Austin Jackson struggling to keep his head above water at left tackle and Jesse Davis keeping the seat warm at right tackle until rookie Liam Eichenberg is deemed ready to play, Miami’s tackle situation is also “not ideal”. And we’re being nice, there.
One popular name among Dolphins fans this week for a potential solution is Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker. Decker, a former 1st-round draft choice out of Ohio State, is 28-years old and currently on Injured Reserve for the Lions after suffering a finger injury at practice just ahead of the season opener; meaning Week 3 will be the final week Decker must miss in accordance with roster rules and IR policy.
So, if Decker is able to come back next week and pass a physical, is he a realistic trade target for the Dolphins?
Here’s the things working in Miami’s favor — assuming they’re interested in the first place. Decker plays for an 0-2 Lions team that is just starting their rebuilding process; they’re not expected to be competitive or in their winning window this year or next. So paying an offensive tackle top money to play for a non-contending team seems a little counterproductive.
Especially when you consider the man who has been filling the void is rookie Penei Sewell — and Sewell has been crushing it. With a potential successor already in house and taking those reps, the vision of what a line without Decker looks like for Detroit is certainly easier to process and, perhaps, easier to buy into.
Financially for Miami, Decker’s contract will be quite easy to absorb — his contract was restructured to manufacture cap space and his base salary this season is just $1M dollars — he was given a $12M restructure bonus up front from Detroit as the majority of his 2021 compensation. Miami, should they hypothetically acquire Decker via trade, would only be responsible for the $1M base salary against their cap in 2021. From there, Decker’s pay per season grows to $15M in 2022, $13.95M in 2023 and $13.7M in 2024.
In short, there are lots of attractive possibilities with Decker on the table. But what would the cost be?
Miami fans would likely tell you to pay the cost no matter what. But is there any chance Miami can package an existing player with a Day 2 selection to make this happen? Detroit’s wide receivers are abysmally thin. Miami has a major surplus at the position. Perhaps a returning young talent (Jackson?) would move the needle for the Lions?
These are the kinds of questions that we don’t have answers to and that really prevent any realistic speculation on what may or may not be possible with Miami and the hypothetical trade. What we do know is this:
Miami needs all the offensive line help that they can get. And Decker seems like a good place to start as far as making exploratory phone calls.

George Bowman of Oakhurst CC powerplays Ally Challenge tourny exemption into United Way donation

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The Solheim Cup- Why X won the cup. Twelve match coverage

Sean Rash Wins PBA Chesapeake Open for 17th PBA Tour Title 

Chesapeake, Va.—On his 39th birthday, Sean Rash claimed his 17th Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour title by winning the PBA Chesapeake Open at AMF Western Branch Lanes. Rash, the No. 2 seed, eliminated 20-time PBA Tour champion Tommy Jones in the semifinal match, then defeated top seed Tom Daugherty, who won two of his four career titles earlier this season, in the championship match.
 Daugherty finished with a 212 game, forcing Rash to strike on his first shot in the 10th frame to have a chance. After a re-rack, Rash rolled the strike he needed, then fired his next shot down the middle to get enough count to make it official. Rash finished with a score of 228 to win his first title since the 2020 PBA Cheetah Championship.
 The victory moves Rash out of a tie with Hall of Famer Jason Couch and into a tie with Hall of Famer Carmen Salvino in all-time titles. It also jumps Rash into seventh in the PBA Summer Tour points race, which will net him a share of the $40,000 bonus prize fund. With his second-place finish, Daugherty also moved inside the top 10, finishing one spot behind Rash in eighth.
 Darren Tang, who won his first PBA Tour title last weekend in the PBA Bowlerstore.com Classic presented by Moxy’s Xtra Pair, finished seventh in Chesapeake to clinch the $20,000 bonus for leading the PBA Summer Tour points race. Tang finished in the top 12 in four of the five Summer Tour events to build a 35-point margin over runner-up Anthony Simonsen.
 Tang entered the final event of the PBA Summer Tour with a 65-point lead over Simonsen, who finished sixth in Chesapeake, which was not enough to catch Tang. Simonsen will receive $7,000 for placing second.
 PBA Chesapeake Open Final Standings
AMF Western Branch Lanes – Chesapeake, Va.
 
  1. Sean Rash
  2. Tom Daugherty
  3. Tommy Jones
  4. Ryan Ciminelli
 
Match Scores
Match 1 – No. 4 Jones def. No. 3 Ciminelli, 250-202
Match 2 – No. 2 Rash def. No. 4 Jones, 248-216
Match 3 – No. 2 Rash def. No. 1 Daugherty, 228-212
 
Full PBA Chesapeake Open standings: https://www.pba.com/tournaments/2021/pba-chesapeake-open
 
PBA Summer Tour Points Final Standings
  1. Darren Tang, 4,825 ($20,000)
  2. Anthony Simonsen, 4,790 ($7,000)
  3. Shawn Maldonado, 3,902.5 ($4,000)
  4. EJ Tackett, 3,665 ($3,000)
  5. Jakob Butturff, 3,175 ($1,000)
  6. Tommy Jones, 3,132.5 ($1,000)
  7. Sean Rash, 3,090 ($1,000)
  8. Tom Daugherty, 3,072.5 ($1,000)
  9. Matt Russo, 3,010 ($1,000)
  10. Chris Via, 2,655 ($1,000)
 

Kyle Larson hopes to continue dominance in NASCAR Cup at Michigan International Speedway

Kyle Larson has made the most of his opportunity to get back in NASCAR Cup racing while competing for the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports team.
Larson, who turned 29 last month, was fired by Chip Ganassi last season when Cup action was halted after four races due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Larson made a racial slur during an iRacing event.
Legendary Cup owner Rick Hendrick invited Larson to sit in the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro with Hendrick dealerships —  HendrickCars.com —  as the primary sponsor. Larson went on to win a series-high five races to take the points lead heading into Sunday’s FireKeepers 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Larson knows his way to Victory Lane at MIS, earning his first Cup career win on the two-mile superspeedway in August of 2016 for Ganassi. He swept two races in 2017 and finished third in his last race at MIS in 2019.
“I don’t know what makes it a good track for me,” Larson said of MIS. “I think maybe just my race car has been really good there in the past. Our team has executed well, so hopefully we can go there and find the speed again and do a good job of executing in the race and get my fourth win there.”
More: In final ride for Team Penske, Brad Keselowski wants first 'home' win at MIS
While Larson has won five times this season and owns five second-place finishes, Kevin Harvick of Stewart/Haas is looking for his first win of the year. He swept the two races at MIS last August, run on consecutive days due to the pandemic. Harvick has won the last three races at MIS, also winning the August race in 2019.
Harvick and the Stewart/Haas team is struggling this season while Hendrick Motorsports drivers have 11 wins. Alex Bowman has won three times, defending Cup series champion Chase Elliott two and William Byron, one.
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Your Email“I was going into a new team so I really didn’t know how we’d be," said Larson, who had won six races in his six full seasons with Ganassi before moving on to Hendrick. "But I knew the people they had in place were really good and I got to witness the success they had last year."
“I knew we’d be fast, so we’re maybe slightly better than I thought we’d be. But there’s still a lot of racing left and a lot of areas to improve so hopefully we can keep winning.”
After Sunday’s race at MIS, there will be just one race remaining in the regular season, Aug. 28 at Daytona. The 10-race playoffs begin at Darlington on Sept. 5.
How much confidence does Larson have heading into the stretch run?
“I think building momentum and having good races and piling them up definitely helps the confidence," Larson said. "And our team is confident, but we’re also not complacent. We want to improve each and every week. We want to study hard and just prepare and be ready for the weekend to get another win.”
Larson is also an outstanding dirt racer who loves to compete in any series. He won the Knoxville Nationals title Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa on Saturday before placing third in the road course Cup race at the Brickyard in Indianapolis the following day.
Larson wasn’t done, continuing his dirt race domination with a Stoops Pursuit race victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s dirt track Wednesday. He passed 15 cars in the 25-lap race to win the $3,000 top prize.
Larson doesn’t care what the prize money is. He just wants to compete. He’s also won the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals on the ¼-mile dirt track in Tulsa, along with the Kings Royal and Prairie Dirt Classic this season.
Given his versatility, race fans are wondering when he will compete in the Indianapolis 500.
Larson is focused on winning his first Cup series title, something former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson did seven times before retiring last season. Jeff Gordon won four Cup championships with Hendrick.
Larson has the ability to win on road courses, winning Cup races this season at Sonoma and New Hampshire, while also winning on multiple 1.5-mile ovals.
“You get a taste of all the styles of race tracks during the playoffs and it definitely means a lot that we’ve been fast at most all of them this year and I hope that means we’ll be good come playoff time,” Larson said. “It’s tough. The competition is really stiff, and everybody is getting better every week. Denny (Hamlin) has been really tough this year, really consistent.”
Joe Gibbs Racing veteran driver Hamlin is second in points, trailing Larson by just 22. Hamlin won 13 races the previous two seasons, six in 2019 and seven in 2020, finishing fourth in points each year.
In pre-pandemic days, the Cup series at MIS had practice and qualifying on Friday, followed by practice Saturday and race day Sunday. There has been no practice and qualifying the last two years.
“I love it,” said Larson of just running the race on Sunday. “You have to adjust during the race and the team has to prepare hard during the week. It’s great for fans and saves money. I hope things stay this way.”

Allmendinger is at the right place at the right time at Indy

Alex Andrejev
​ NASCAR’s first Cup race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course was setting up to finish in predicable fashion in the final 10 laps. Kyle Larson was in the lead. Chase Elliott’s car fell off the jack on pit road, which meant he would have to overcome a setback to get to the front.
NASCAR fans have seen that story before, as recently as last week.
Instead, what ensued on Sunday was two overtime restarts, an airborne car, and a veteran-rookie drag race that culminated in a victory for a different driver who has made just four starts in the series over the past three seasons.
A.J. Allmendinger won the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard for his second career Cup win. He isn’t racing for the championship — he’s a part-time driver in the series competing for Kaulig Racing in select road course events.
“In my wildest dreams I could never imagine the way that just played out,” Allmendinger said.
‘What a mess’In the final five laps of the originally-planned 82-lap race, the curbing in Turn 6 broke to send multiple drivers spinning into the wall in a massive heap. William Byron, Joey Logano and Daniel Suárez were among those impacted, with Logano hitting the tire barrier. NASCAR red-flagged the race and removed part of the curbing, which created a ramp-like chute with the remaining configuration.
NASCAR was racing for the first time in series history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, rather than its traditional oval. IndyCar and NASCAR’s Xfinity Series raced at the track the day prior.
The Cup race had barely gone green in overtime after a long delay to clean up oil from a damaged car when more drivers, including Tyler Reddick, who won the first two stages, and Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon, were caught up in the next set of wrecks. Michael McDowell went flying through the air at the same spot to set off that series of spins.
Denny Hamlin, who was in the lead at the time, summarized the scene: “What a mess,” he said.

MAC Commissioner
​DR. JON
 STEINBRECHER
on the state of college athletics/MAC 

Austin Cindric to replace Brad Keselowski in No. 2 car at Team Penske for 2022 season​

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By Dave Goricki- Courtesy of the Detroit News- NASCAR Cup team owner Roger Penske announced Thursday that 22-year-old Austin Cindric will be replacing former series champion Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 Ford Mustang next season.
Keselowski, a 37-year-old native of Rochester Hills, expressed interest in ownership within Team Penske in past years, but was told that wouldn’t be an option.
Keselowski, who earned Penske his first Cup series championship in 2012, has reportedly been interested in joining Roush-Fenway Racing with ownership in the deal for the 2022 season and beyond.
Keselowski has been one of the most consistent drivers in the series, owning 31 wins in the past 10 years —  starting with that championship season in 2012 —  the third most victories with active drivers during that stretch behind Kevin Harvick (40) and Kyle Busch (36) and just ahead of Martin Truex Jr. (29), Denny Hamlin (27) and Team Penske teammate Joey Logano (26).
“Getting to drive for Mr. Roger Penske in the No. 2 has been a tremendous opportunity, and I am so proud of the success we’ve had together,” Keselowski posted on his Twitter account. “His guidance has helped me both be a better competitor, but even more so a better man.
“When I first walked through the doors at Team Penske, the team had 65 Cup series wins and was on the hunt for their first NASCAR Championship. Over our years together we developed into a formidable force. Today, the team has more than 130 Cup series wins, two Xfinity Championships and two Cup series championships. I am so proud to have played a role in these wins and milestones.
“Looking to the future, I wish Austin and the team all the best in the next chapter. I extend my sincerest gratitude to the entire 2 crew for their commitment and work over the past 12-plus years. I know they will continue to do great things together with Austin at the wheel."
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LPGA Day 1 of the Dow Invitational in Midland has familiar names at the top of the leaderboard

NASA HATAOKA WINS RAIN-SHORTENED MARATHON LPGA CLASSIC

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The 2021 Marathon LPGA Classic was shortened to 54 holes after a full day of rain left the course unplayable. Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, who held a six-stroke lead after three rounds, was named the winner, earning her fourth LPGA Tour victory.
​“Knowing everybody is working really, really hard to try to get this to a 72-hole tournament. I wish it would've been able to do it, but with this weather it was really hard,” said Hataoka. “I'm happy to be able to win.”


Americans Elizabeth Szokol and Mina Harigae tied for second at -13, with both players earning the best finishes of their LPGA Tour careers. Esther Henseleit of Germany finished solo fourth at -12, with Yuka Saso, Amy Yang, Austin Ernst and Caroline Masson tied for fifth at -11. Defending champion Danielle Kang tied for ninth at -10.


Play was initially suspended at 9:40 a.m., with all players having started their rounds. The LPGA Tour and its on-site meteorologist monitored weather conditions all day and course conditions never improved to the point that play could successfully be resumed. The Monday forecast also calls for more rain and storms in the greater Toledo area.
“Our initial weather forecast called for steady morning rain, but eventual clearer conditions. Unfortunately, the clouds stalled overhead and the rain never let up enough for us to regain playable course conditions,” said Sue Witters, the LPGA Tour’s Vice President of Rules and Competitions. “Our first priority is always to complete four and while we hoped to be able to finish on Monday, the weather forecast was again unfavorable after 11 a.m.


“We wish we could have played four rounds, but we are thankful to the players and our tournament partners for their patience on a very difficult day. We are also incredibly appreciative of superintendent Greg Pattinson and the Highland Meadows grounds crew for their phenomenal work all week and especially in today’s difficult conditions.”
The last LPGA Tour competition to be reduced to 54 holes was the 2020 Cambia Portland Classic, which was adversely affected by wildfires in the Pacific Northwest.

MARATHON LPGA CLASSIC  Highlights 

Cam Davis wins Rocket Mortgage Classic on 5th playoff hole

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LARRY LAGE
Sun, July 4, 2021, DETROIT (AP) — Cam Davis holed a 50-foot sand shot on the 71st hole of regulation and that propelled him into a five-hole playoff where he outlasted Troy Merritt and Joaquin Niemann to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic for his first PGA Tour victory.
“It’s the only reason I’m sitting here now," Davis said at a news conference alongside the trophy. “To be honest, in my head there wasn’t a thought of trying to hole it."
Davis ultimately won when Merritt missed a 6-foot par putt on the fifth playoff hole.
Davis missed putts to win on each of the playoff holes, but maintained his composure because he knew good shots set up putts he just missed.
The 26-year-old Australian left 6- and 18-foot putts high, a 25-foot putt low and a 19-footer high. He misread a break on a 12-foot putt on the fifth playoff hole and settled for a par, then won when Merritt made bogey.
“I just tried to put as much out of my mind as I could and just hit every shot for what it was worth," Davis said. “As simple as that’s said, it’s so hard to do when the pressure’s on like that. I just kept on putting good swings on it.
“I guess I didn’t make any putts, but I kept on putting it in play, so it worked out all right."
Davis closed with a 5-under 67 to match Merritt (68) and Niemann (68) at 18-under 270 at Detroit Golf Club. Niemann dropped out of the playoff with a bogey on the first extra hole, his first bogey of the week.
“It’s hard to be standing here knowing that there is a playoff going on right now," Niemann told reporters.
Niemann had a chance to win it on the 72nd hole, but left a 17-foot putt high.
“I should have won this tournament, but I mean, it is what it is," Niemann said. “I’m going to go rest next week and try to do my best for the (British) Open and the Olympics."
Niemann had two shots that went 569 yards at 17 and he two-putted from 14 feet to take the lead at 18 under, but he quickly had company.
Merritt, who was in the final group with Niemann, made his fourth birdie in a five-hole stretch to share the lead at 17.
Davis joined the leaders with the eagle-birdie finish.
“I’ve been in some good positions before, but to play the golf that I played coming down the stretch was just awesome," said Davis, who entered the tournament with four top-10 finishes the past two years.
The 35-year-old Merritt was shooting for his third PGA Tour win and first since 2018. He has been in contention lately, but has come up just short.
“It’s been a nice couple two months, four top-10s, now nice finish this week," he said. “I just hope for that win. We’re knocking on the door."
The 22-year-old Niemann shared the second- and third-round lead and was runner-up for the third time, including coming up short in a playoff at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Last week at the Travelers Championship, Harris English beat Kramer Hickok in an eight-hole playoff that tied the second-longest sudden death in PGA Tour history. Hickock stuck around to watch the playoff in Detroit after finishing 6 under.
Alex Noren (64) had a share of the lead at 17. He got out of the heat and humidity, but planned to leave the comfortable clubhouse as soon someone was a stroke ahead of him and that happened with a trio of competitors. Noren tied for fourth with Hank Lebioda (68).
Bubba Watson surged up the leaderboard earlier on the hot and steamy afternoon with a 64 to put him at 16 under. That briefly gave him a share of the lead, and he tied for sixth with Brandon Hagy (68).
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Willie Mack III makes first PGA TOUR cut

DETROIT — Willie Mack III shot a second-round 73 to finish 3 under to make his first PGA TOUR cut. After bogeys on holes 7, 11 and 16, there was no margin for error.  
From short of the 18th green, he chipped to 4 1/2 feet and made the par putt. His friends and family, some wearing Willie Mack III T-shirts, exhaled and cheered. Wayne Birch, who caddies for Troy Merritt (68, 9 under) and had returned to the course after Merritt finished, held up his phone to capture the moment.
“I probably was more nervous than he was,” said Birch, who played for Southern University before embarking on his career as a caddie. “In the Black community in golf, we all knew, all of us who played at a high level, that Willie is next up. This is so big.” 
Mack, 32, hasn’t gotten much sleep. Darkness halted play with three holes remaining in his first round, so he woke up early and played 21 holes Friday. His supporters were there for every shot.
“Yeah, I heard some of my friends,” he said. “I wasn't looking, but I know their voices, so I heard them. It's exciting to just be able to play in your hometown amongst friends and family.”
Friday marked a historic chapter in one of the game’s least likely origin stories.
The son of a social worker, Mack grew up in nearby Flint, a town that became synonymous with the loss of manufacturing jobs in America. He scrounged for equipment, and when his high school team discontinued its golf team his sophomore year, his dad moved them to Grand Blanc.
Mack’s new school won the 2004 state championship. He won the Flint City Amateur three times, and in 2011 was the first Black player to win the Michigan Amateur. He played for the only school to give him a full-ride scholarship, HBCU Bethune-Cookman, and won 11 times.
Life as a pro, though, was no picnic. He lived in his car for a year and a half, slept in friends’ spare bedrooms. Insiders knew how good he was, but the full array of his talents remained mostly hidden. Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner noted that the first time Mack worked with well-known instructor Todd Anderson at TPC Sawgrass – part of the PGA TOUR’s commitment to the minority-focused APGA Tour – Anderson asked, “How are you not on TOUR yet?” 
A lack of funds didn’t help. When he qualified to play PGA TOUR Latinoamerica in 2018, Mack – the winner of more than 60 minitour titles – didn’t play the circuit because the cost was prohibitive. Last year, though, his career took a quantum leap when Farmers Insurance signed him and fellow APGA star Kamaiu Johnson to two-year deals as player ambassadors.
Since then, Mack’s opportunities have kept rolling in. The 2019 Player of the Year on the APGA and the Florida Pro Golf Tour, he filled in for Johnson at the 11th hour at the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. Although he missed the cut (74-75) he beat a handful of TOUR winners. 
Mack also got into The Genesis Invitational in L.A. as the Charlie Sifford Exemption recipient. He again missed the cut (70-76) but finished ahead of Rory McIlroy, among others. He also had a leisurely lunch with tournament host Tiger Woods, his childhood idol. 
He estimates he has played Detroit Golf Club hundreds of times, although not always with such wet fairways and swirling winds. Although he got to 6 under and just three off the lead through six holes of his second round, he was 3 over from there, leading to some tense moments.
“I’m just so happy for him,” Birch said. “It’s so inspiring. My dream was to play on the PGA TOUR, but that’s over with. With Willie – it’s almost like I’m living through him. It just goes to show that if you keep grinding, stay the course, and believe in yourself, anything can happen.” 

Birch and Mack were part of a group that would be going to watch the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, and they’ll have plenty to celebrate. Mack’s biggest career paycheck to date is $37,000, and now he’ll be playing for a lot more than that over the weekend on a course he knows well.
Whatever happens, he’ll play in the John Deere Classic next week. It’s an exciting time.
“I went to go get some food last night,” he said. “I think I got about three hours of sleep. I'm tired, but I think adrenaline kept me going and hopefully it can hold up for the next two days.”

NASCAR at Pocono results: Kyle Busch saves just enough fuel to win, end Hendrick Motorsports' win streak​

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With 59 career victories and two championships in the NASCAR Cup Series, Kyle Busch has earned the right to be called a modern day legend of stock car racing. As his second win of the 2021 season was, indeed, the stuff of legends -- as they'll long be talking about the time Busch won Pocono with only fourth gear.
Despite major transmission issues, Busch was able to save enough fuel over a long green flag run to the finish to win the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350. Busch had suffered a major transmission issue during the day, as he had lost the clutch in the No. 18 car and only had fourth gear at his disposal. But in having to try and fix his transmission under caution, Busch was able to top off on fuel, putting him prime position as the rest of the leaders had to either go into hard fuel conservation mode or come to pit road over the final 10 laps.
Unofficial top 10
  1. #18 - Kyle Busch
  2. #5 - Kyle Larson
  3. #2 - Brad Keselowski
  4. #4 - Kevin Harvick
  5. #23 - Bubba Wallace
  6. #12 - Ryan Blaney
  7. #48 - Alex Bowman
  8. #37 - Ryan Preece
  9. #8 - Tyler Reddick
  10. #22 - Joey Logano
"Just playing the strategy the best we could with what was given to us. Sometimes these races aren't always won by the fastest car, but I still felt like we had the fastest car. Even though we were in the back and behind and having to come through and preserve through behind stuck in fourth gear, no clutch, all that stuff -- It's all burnt out," Busch told NBC Sports. "Nothing left in this M&M's Mini's Camry. It was awesome today."
As the final green flag run unfolded, the altering fuel strategies throughout the field began to play out over a dramatic final 10 laps. As Brad Keselowski was forced to pit for fuel from the race lead, William Byron held a comfortable lead as he tried to conserve fuel, but his pace allowed Denny Hamlin and Busch to close in. Byron then had to pit for fuel coming to two laps to go, and Hamlin had to peel off for fuel coming to the white flag.
With his fuel mileage win, Busch earned his second victory of the season and snapped a six-race win streak by Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Busch is now one of four drivers to have earned multiple wins this season, joining Kyle Larson (four), Martin Truex Jr. (three), and Alex Bowman (three).
With the doubleheader at Pocono Raceway now complete, the NASCAR Cup Series will continue northwards next week with their inaugural race at Road America in Wisconsin.

Saturday's motors: Bowman zips past Larson after late flat and wins at Pocono

Long Pond, Pa. — Alex Bowman helplessly watched teammate Kyle Larson zip past him in the waning laps at Pocono and apologized to his crew over the radio for blowing the lead.
Larson's blown tire cost him so much more. Larson's left front tire went down when his Chevrolet ran over debris less than a mile from the finish — and a fourth straight win in sight — that stunningly slammed NASCAR's hottest driver into the wall.
Ah, so a flat tire is how you beat Kyle Larson.
Bowman had a second chance in a flash and this time would not waste the lead. This is how the last two months have rolled for Hendrick Motorsports — when one driver falters, another one finds a way to victory lane.
Bowman made it six straight wins for Hendrick, and the shredded tire denied Larson's bid for a fourth straight Cup victory Saturday at Pocono Raceway. Bowman was in stunned disbelief as he crossed the line for for his third win of the season.
“This is the strangest win I've ever been a part of,” Bowman said.
Larson laughed at his misfortune. He won three straight Cup races and was in prime position for another at Pocono when he passed Bowman with three laps left in the race. Larson was maybe a mile away from becoming the first driver since former Hendrick champion Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to win four consecutive Cup races. Instead, the tire went down on the last corner of the last lap and knocked Larson out of contention.

Rahm closes with 2 birdies to win the US Open

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Sunday at Torrey Pines has given golf fans quite the gift before. We can only be so lucky if the excitement in 2021 matches a fraction of what 2008 gave us.
It’s a crowded leader board with three players at the top—Louis Oosthuizen, Russell Henley and Mackenzie Hughes leading at 5-under. Oosthuizen’s finishing eagle at the 54th hole on Saturday was very reminiscent of Tiger Woods in 2008. So perhaps that’s a sign of what’s in store for today.
RELATED: U.S. Open 2021: Ranking the 11 contenders with the best chance to win at Torrey Pines
(Scroll down for the latest updates)
The leader board is loaded beneath these three with Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy right behind the leaders at 3-under par, and Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Matthew Wolff all at 2-under and just three back of the lead. We know that the past 22 major champions were all within four of the lead—and the past seven U.S. Open winners were all either in first place or second place entering the final round.
RELATED: U.S. Open 2021: Tour pro four-putts from five feet at Torrey Pines

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FullscreenTHE LATEST VIDEOS FROM GOLF DIGESTLet’s hope we’re in store for another special conclusion to a U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
Here are the latest updates from Sunday at Torrey Pines (most recent updates at the top, all times eastern):
8:21 p.m.: You're not going to believe this, but Oosthuizen made his final birdie putt to secure solo second, marking his SIXTH runner-up finish in a major championship. Historic silver-medaling, and now the latest and greatest "what if?" in his fascinating career. Seriously, there's an argument to be made that he should have, at minimum, four to five majors. Yet still, just one. 
For you math buffs, that means Rahm now has as many as Oosthuizen, and what feels like the first of many, though we've probably said that about so many guys who are still stuck on one (or none). This one was wildly impressive though, especially considering what he just went through at the Memorial Tournament a few weeks ago.
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LEONA MAGUIRE FINDING A BIT OF IRELAND AT BLYTHEFIELD COUNTRY CLUB

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MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC LEADERBOARD PITS FOUR-WAY TIE AFTER DAY ONE
The conditions on Thursday at Blythefield Country Club were ideal for scoring in the first round of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. A total of 85 players in the 144-player field found their way to red numbers and four individuals--Nasa Hataoka, Leona Maguire, Charley Hull and Lauren Stephenson—share the lead at 7-under par 65 in Belmont, Mich.

“On the first nine, it felt like my ball had a magnet to the hole. It was like I couldn’t miss,” Stephenson said after recording a bogey-free, 6-under par 30 on the back [her opening] nine. “I probably made a 35-foot putt on one of the par-3s, which is super abnormal for me. Felt like everything was going my way so I took advantage of that today.”

A week ago, Maguire was the outright 18-hole Mediheal Championship leader. Today, she continued her trend of opening on the right foot.

“It [Blythefield Country Club] reminds me a lot of home, a lot of golf courses that I grew up playing,” said Maguire, who signed for a bogey-free 65 on Thursday. “Very green, some trees. Drove the ball well and just sort of suits my eye quite well. Tried to build on that momentum I had last week in San Francisco.”



Among the leaders, Hataoka also turned in a masterful first-round performance. She found seven birdies and no bogeys en route to seeing her name atop the leaderboard tied for the lead.

“There was a couple holes where I actually thought I had a bogey chance, but was able to get up and down for par,” Hataoka said of keeping her mistakes to a minimum. “This course, usually everyone hits low scores, so it is really important for me to play four good rounds. Hoping to continue that tomorrow.”

One shot back at -6 and tied for fifth is 
Ariya Jutanugarn and Min Lee. Jutanugarn recently captured an 11th career LPGA Tour title in her native country at the Honda LPGA Thailand and has two top-10 results since the victory. 

Lee is also on a heater as of late. She won the Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship on the Symetra Tour last month and followed it up with the first top-10 finish of her LPGA Tour career at the Mediheal Championship. 

“I have played this course a couple times before, so I kind of know this course a little bit,” said Lee, who is making her fifth start at the Meijer LPGA Classic. “The first few holes, I was still adjusting to the greens speed because it is so much different compared to last week [at Lake Merced]. At the beginning, I didn’t get a chance to make it [any birdie putts], but it started to roll after a couple holes. I think my putting is pretty good and also my iron shots. That helped give me a lot of birdies.”

Eleven
 players are tied for seventh at -5 including 2020 AIG Women’s Open champion Sophia Popov and tournament sponsor exemption Gabriela Ruffels. Lexi Thompson, the 2015 Meijer LPGA Classic winner, is tied for 18th at -4, while two-time and defending Meijer LPGA Classic champ Brooke Henderson shot +3 and is tied for 128th.

EAGLES GUIDE FÚTBOL FAN CHARLEY HULL TO STRONG FIRST-ROUND FINISH

It was a slow start out of the gate by Charley Hull at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. But the 25-year-old from England stepped on the gas to shoot 7-under par 65 in round one at Blythefield Country Club.

The performance was highlighted by two eagles coming at No. 14, the Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole, and No. 18.

“I hit a good drive [on 14], and like a little draw 4-iron into the green. Holed a 35-, 40-foot putt and then No. 18 didn’t quite catch the drive,” said Hull. “Didn’t hit my driver well today. But then 7-iron into I think like 10-15 feet and holed it.

“I feel really good with my irons. It’s just my driver. As long as I can get it somewhere near the fairway, I have a chance because I’m hitting my irons well. Been working hard on my game the last few weeks.”



With rain expected overnight in Belmont, Mich., Hull may be the only player rooting for it to carry over into the morning wave on Friday. She has good reason, however. Her native England squares off against Scotland at 3 p.m. ET in the Group Stage of UEFA Euro 2020. Hull starts on No. 10 tee tomorrow at 12:48 p.m. local time.

“
Hopefully it gets a delay and then I can watch England—Scotland football tomorrow,” Hull said. “It is always good when England is playing. Pubs at home are a lot of fun. I wish I was at home in a pub, but I'm happy with my 7-under so I'll stay out here.

“I think it's good to get a good score going, especially when it's bad weather coming in. It's very scorable golf course so I'm looking forward to tomorrow.”

LEONA MAGUIRE FINDING A BIT OF IRELAND AT BLYTHEFIELD COUNTRY CLUB

It has been a great season for rookie Leona Maguire. With three top-10 finishes and a season-best result of tied for second at the LOTTE Championship, a win would be the cherry atop a cake. After Thursday’s first round at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich., that goal seems more achievable than ever as Maguire shares the lead of 7-under with Nasa Hataoka, Charley Hull and Lauren Stephenson.

What helped Maguire card a low number on day one at Blythefield Country Club was the familiarity of playing similar courses in Ireland.

“
e, Elm Park, ones I grew up playing during junior golf. I

Danielle Kang- the defending champion at the Marathon Classic in Toledo talks Solheim and her 2020 win

​ALL-STAR LINEUP SET FOR ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC’S AREA 313 CELEBRITY SCRAMBLE

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The PGA TOUR professionals participating in the Rocket Mortgage Classic also will be playing for a chance to score big for Changing the Course, thanks to the contribution of the host organization, Rocket Mortgage. The first player to score a 3 on Hole 14 (an eagle), a hole-in-one on Hole 15, and a 3 on Hole 16 (a birdie) – scoring a 3-1-3 along that stretch – cumulatively over the four days of tournament play will trigger a $313,000 donation made in his name and split between a charity of the golfer’s choice and the Connect 313 Fund, in support of Changing the Course.
 
                        Additionally, for each 3 made on hole 14, Rocket Mortgage will supply $5,000 to Changing the Course, while any 1 made on hole 15 will trigger a $10,000 donation and any 3 made on hole 16 will result in a $5,000 contribution. Last year, thanks to 15 eagles made on the 14th hole and 63 birdies made on the 16th, the company’s donation totaled $385,000.
 
WHO:            PGA TOUR stars Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Bubba Watson, Harold Varner III, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler will each captain a four-player team consisting of celebrities that will include Larry Fitzgerald, Barry Sanders, Tom Izzo, Lexi Thompson and Maurice Allen. Each team will also include a participant from The John Shippen National Invitational and a sponsor representative. 
 
                       PGA TOUR pros scheduled to compete:
·       Bryson DeChambeau – A Rocket Mortgage golf ambassador, he is the reigning champion of the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the world’s fourth-ranked player. Among his eight PGA TOUR titles is the 2020 U.S. Open championship. The TOUR’s FedExCup leader and driving distance leader is the fifth golfer in history to win both the NCAA Division I championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.
·       Jason Day - A former World No. 1 from Australia, Day won the 2015 PGA Championship and 2016 PLAYERS Championship along with 10 other PGA TOUR titles. He finished third in the final 2015 PGA TOUR FedExCup standings after winning two playoff events.
·       Rickie Fowler – A Rocket Mortgage golf ambassador, he is a five-time PGA TOUR winner and the 2010 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. The 2015 PLAYERS Championship winner represented the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics and has played in the Ryder Cup on four separate occasions.
·       Phil Mickelson – Winner of 45 events on the PGA TOUR, including six major championships: three Masters titles (2004, 2006, 2010), the 2005 and 2021 PGA Championship and the Open Championship in 2013. A World Golf Hall of Famer, he is one of 12 players in history to win three of the four majors.
·       Harold Varner III - A PGA TOUR fan favorite who was victorious at the 2016 Australian PGA Championship. He was tied for second heading into the final round of the 2019 PGA Championship.
·       Bubba Watson – Owner of 12 PGA TOUR wins, which include the 2012 and 2014 Masters tournaments, and an avid supporter of the Rocket Mortgage Classic’s Changing the Course initiative. He represented the U.S. at the 2016 Rio Olympics and placed T8.
     
      Celebrity participants scheduled to compete:
·       Maurice Allen – A multi-time long drive champion, former Guinness World Record Holder and twice ranked number one World Long Drive competitor.
·       Larry Fitzgerald – An 11-time Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL’s active leader in reception, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
·       Tom Izzo - Michigan State men’s basketball coach since 1995 and a 2016 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He led the Spartans to a national championship in 2000 and has made eight total appearances in the Final Four.
·       Barry Sanders – A Pro Football Hall of Famer who was a 10-time Pro Bowler during his 10-year career with the Lions and is fourth all time in rushing yards.
·       Lexi Thompson – A 14-time LPGA tournament winner and a newly announced Rocket Mortgage golf ambassador. Thompson became the second-youngest winner of a women’s major championship when she captured the Kraft Nabisco Championship at age 19 in 2014. She is currently ninth in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking. ​
 

Tom Daugherty Wins PBA Scorpion Championship for Second WSOB XII Title His fourth career title

Tom Daugherty won his fourth career PBA Tour title and second of the World Series of Bowling XII, defeating Kyle Troup, 266-254, in the title match of the PBA Scorpion Championship. On Saturday, Daugherty won the Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship for his first career major title. Sunday, Daugherty and his partner BJ Moore finished second in the PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship.   “You can’t imagine this,” said Daugherty. “I thought maybe I’d win the Scorpion, or maybe win the Doubles, but to win the World Championship and the Scorpion? It’s not even something I thought of.”   In the eliminator format, Daugherty bowled a 244 to lead the three advancing players out of the opening match, leaving Michael Tang on the outside. In the next match, Daugherty rolled 276 while Troup posted 279, leaving Kris Prather in third place.   “The lane play was totally different from what I expected,” said Daugherty, citing Tang’s decision to use urethane. “Once I got in the groove, I knew what I had to do to get my ball into the pocket. I just had to throw it slowly enough and get it on line and it was going to carry and go high flush.”   The top seed for best-of-five match play, Daugherty eliminated No. 16 Pete Weber in the Round of 16 and No. 8 Walter Ray Williams in the Round of 8, winning both series three games to two. Both Weber and Williams announced their retirement earlier today, making Daugherty the final opponent for the legends.   “Coming in today and having to bowl Pete Weber and Walter Ray, are you kidding me?” said Daugherty. “If it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t believe it.”   World Series of Bowling XII took place at AMF University Lanes and Daugherty wasn’t shy about admitting an advantage over the rest of the field.   “I love bowling here,” said Daugherty. “I win a lot of tournaments here.”   PBA Scorpion Championship Final Standings AMF University Lanes – Tampa, Fla.   Tom Daugherty, earns $30,000 Kyle Troup, $15,000 Kris Prather, $8,000 Michael Tang, $5,000

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JEFFREY AUSTRENG WINS MDUSBC MASTERS AND CLAIMS $2,000 FIRST PRIZE AT WESTLAND BOWL

Two-time Masters champion Jeffrey Austreng of Waterford remained in the winner’s bracket and beat fellow two-time champion Justin Knowles of Okemos 430-413 in the final two-game match to win the Metro Detroit USBC Masters Tournament at Westland Bowl in Westland Sunday. Austreng claimed the title and the $2,000 first prize making him the third three-time champion in the 58-year history of the event joining Dick Beattie (1974, 1980 and 1981) and Mark Moore (2001, 2003 and 2004). Knowles settled for the second place check of $1,000.
Austreng, the 2005 and 2007 Masters champion, qualified 16th with a six-game total of 1,319. In match play, he beat Carl Boldt of Pontiac 435-313, two-time champion Justin Knowles of Okemos 488-441, defending champion Ryan VanHecke of Chesterfield 438-411, Lonnie Jones of Ypsilanti 471-430 and Mason Brantley of Detroit 476-399 to remain the lone survivor in the winner’s bracket. He then lost to Knowles 448-420 before coming back to claim the championship 430-413. He averaged 223.8 for 20 games of competition.
Knowles, the 2018 and 2019 Masters champion, was the top qualifier with 1,523. After losing his first match to Jeffrey Austreng of Waterford 488-441 he moved through the loser’s bracket with wins over Kenneth Wyatt of Sterling Heights 433-399, Conner Lackey of Jackson 505-376, Craig Nidiffer of Dearborn Heights 470-410, Matthew Coleman of Waterford 482-385, Jones 524-433 and Brantley 452-349 to advance to the championship match. Once in the final match he avenged the earlier defeat to Austreng 448-420 before falling 430-413 to end the day. Knowles averaged 240 for 26 games of competition.
Brantley, the 2011 Masters champion, qualified 11th with 1,339, including a 300 game. In match play, he defeated Dan Pollak of Fraser 362-360, Conner Weber of Wayne 495-431, Christopher Nielson of Livonia 496-366 and Derrick Norman of Saginaw 405-382 before falling into the loser’s bracket with a loss to Austreng 476-399. In the loser’s bracket, he then lost to Knowles 452-349 to end his day. Brantley averaged 213.6 for 18 games of competition and settled for $700.
Bazzy, the 2019 MDUSBC Junior Masters champion, qualified fourth 1,398. He won his first match over Terrance Bell of Pontiac 462-355, before falling to Jones in double overtime 58-26 after tying with 392 and 60-60 in the first two-frame overtime. Once in the loser’s bracket he prevailed over Weber 453-422, VanHecke 502-476, and Norman 480-397 before falling to Knowles 448-427 to end his day. Bazzy averaged 228.6 for 18 games and took home $500 for his efforts.
Jones qualified 12th with 1,333 and took home $450 for his fifth place finish. Derrick Norman finished sixth for $450, Matthew Coleman seventh for $400 and Ryan VanHecke eighth for $400.
There were five 300 games in the competition, tying the record set in 1994 at Satellite Bowl. Knowles, Jones and Pollak bowled them in match play; and Brantley and Ryan Briguglio of Macomb in qualifying.


PL              NAME    CITY    AVERAGE WINNINGS       
                                               
1               Jeffrey Austreng        Waterford       223.85   $     2,000   
2               Justin Knowles  Okemos  239.96   $     1,000   
3               Mason Brantley  Detroit 213.61   $       700   
4               Drake Bazzy     Flat Rock       228.56   $       500   
5               Lonnie Jones    Ypsilanti       222.31   $       450   
6               Derrick Norman  Saginaw 221.71   $       450   
7               Matthew Coleman Waterford       217.94   $       400   
8               Ryan VanHecke   Chesterfield    212.69   $       400   
9               Conner Weber    Wayne   225.79   $       350   
10              Craig Nidiffer  Dearborn Heights        223.42   $       350   
11              Chris Nielson   Livonia 210.29   $       350   
12              John Tovar      Waterford       197.07   $       350   
13              Conner Lackey   Jackson 223.08   $       325   
14              Perry Crowell IV        St Clair Shores 214.36   $       325   
15              Dan Pollak      Fraser  209.00   $       325   
16              Zakarey Geer    Madison Heights 208.00   $       325   
17              Ryan Briguglio  Macomb  222.40   $       300   
18              Dan Jordan      Livonia 219.10   $       300   
19              Justin Neiman   Macomb  218.10   $       300   
20              Kenneth Wyatt   Sterling Heights        211.50   $       300   
21              Peter Kaczmarczyk       Warren  208.90   $       300   
22              Terrance Bell   Pontiac 207.00   $       300   
23              Carl  Boldt     Pontiac 206.20   $       300   
24              Harold Sullins  Chesterfield    205.00   $       300   NON-CASHING SENIORS (50- AND OVER)
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Michigan State announces basketball team will now be called 'MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage'

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Detroit Lions: It is Quintez Cephus’ time to shine in 2021

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by Nathan Williams     
     The Detroit Lions are entering the 2021 season in full rebuild mode under new head coach Dan Campbell. Campbell was given a six-year contract in the Motor City, signaling that he will be given sufficient time to “re-tool” the team.
One exciting advantage Detroit has over other NFL teams is that most of their coaching staff are former players. Anthony Lynn was recently brought in as the new offensive coordinator after spending 2020 as San Diego Chargers head coach. There, he helped develop first-year quarterback Justin Herbert who was the NFL rookie of the year.
Former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell is now the quarterback coach in Detroit. Considering the Lions’ current quarterback situation with Jared Goff and a possible rookie joining the team via the NFL Draft, Brunell appears to be the perfect coach to help develop Detroit’s signal-callers.

In my opinion, the hires that were brought in are a great start to building a contending team in the NFC North. Now comes the building of the roster.
NFL Free Agency begins on March 17, and the NFL Draft starts on Thursday, April 26. It’s obviously hard to predict who Campbell and the company will bring in to join the team.
What’s not so hard to predict is who’s leaving the team. Marvin Jones has been the Lions No. 1 wide receiver on and off for a few years. He’s now a free agent heading into his tenth season.
For Jones, “nothing is off the table,” as he said in a Sirius XM radio interview.
Other wide receivers that will hit the market are:
  • Danny Amendola
  • Mohamed Sanu
  • Kenny Golladay
  • Jamal Agnew
That’s basically everyone, but there is one guy left.
2020 Detroit LionsQuintez Cephus was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft with pick 166 overall. He played his college football at the University of Wisconsin, where he had 93 receptions, for1,496 yards, and 13 touchdowns.
Cephus is a strong, aggressive, physical receiver. He doesn’t have burst, but he runs routes well and finds a way to get open.  If he’s not open, he still catches the ball in a small window.
Size and body positioning create workable windows in tight quarters and his ball skills build trust with the quarterback. He’s a build-up runner who lacks suddenness to uncover and may need to be motioned, bunched, and lined in the slot to help with early separation. Teams know he can catch it but will need to see him get open. — NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein



When the 2021 season kicks off, Cephus will likely be the only wide receiver on the roster, but others will be brought in. The Lions could go wideout in the first round at No. 7.
Guys like Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith will probably be available. Does Detroit bring in a wide receiver with their first-round pick?
Doesn’t offer that late burst to the football and his speed is gradual. Battles through tightness in his lowers on horizontal cuts. Twitch and suddenness is missing. — The Draft Network’s Joe MarinoIt’s highly probable if you put any stock into the mock drafts many NFL analysts have been putting out.
Whether someone that is highly talented is brought in through the NFL Draft or free agency, Cephus will have an amazing opportunity to show the world what he has.
And he’s ready.

Detroit Lions: Brad Holmes needs to continue prioritizing the offense

By Bob Heyrman from Fan Side Daily
The perfect scenario for the Detroit Lions would be trading down in the first round of the NFL Draft adding much-needed draft capital but continue to focus on the offensive side of the football, particularly at the wide receiver position.
I understand how awful the Detroit Lions defense performed under former head coach Matt Patricia, but as it stands now, the organization needs help at all levels of their defense.  Repairing that side of the football will take more than a top-fifteen choice in the draft.  I’d prefer to add an elite talent on offense and focus on adding multiple defensive pieces throughout the draft.
Many experts seem to be wavering between quarterback Trey Lance or linebacker Micah Parsons if Detroit holds onto the seventh overall pick.
This is where things get tricky for me, particularly surrounding Lance.  If the Detroit Lions have an opportunity to choose Lance but opt to trade down or select someone like Parsons or even a receiver, we will always be following Lance’s career, and he could be the ‘what if’ player.
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If Lance is a star, it will be a tough pill to swallow for the next twenty years; if he’s mediocre and Detroit selects an All-Pro player at a different position, general manager Brad Holmes will look like a genius.
I don’t dislike Lance, but I think he’s a tier-two quarterback prospect in the upcoming draft.  Lance isn’t Trevor Lawrence, and I feel he’s a ways behind Zach Wilson.  I’d put Lance slightly ahead of Justin Fields, but they’d be on the same level.
That being said, Lance may not even be available when the Detroit Lions are on the board at seven if NFL organizations have him pegged as the third-best quarterback entering the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Detroit Lions should select a player on offense in the first round of the NFL Draft.After adding 26-year old Jared Goff, the Lions need to surround him with some weapons on offense.  Are we certain that Lance will be better than Goff?  I’m all for drafting Lawrence or Wilson, but I expect they will be selected first and second overall.
If the Lions fail to find a trade partner for the seventh overall pick, offensive tackle Penei Sewell would be my first (non-quarterback) choice.  I don’t expect Sewell will be available at seven, but stranger things have happened.  It would be nice to bolster the offensive line by pairing Sewell with Taylor Decker for several years.
My next choice would be one of the top three receivers.  I’d be content with either Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and DeVonta Smith.  Many will have Smith above Waddle, but I feel that Waddle has a higher ceiling at the professional level, but if both Chase and Waddle are unavailable, the Detroit Lions should be thrilled with adding Smith.
We’re waiting to see what the Detroit Lions choose to do with star receiver Kenny Golladay, leaving just Quintez Cephus as the only other notable pass-catcher rostered heading into free agency and the draft.  The Lions should add a couple of young playmakers on the outside to give Goff a chance to succeed.

Michael McDowell wins rain-delayed Daytona 500 after last-lap wreck

Christopher Bell captures first career Cup win on Daytona Road Course

​By
Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service February 21, 2021  at 6:37 PMDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For the second consecutive week, Daytona International Speedway crowned a first-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell earned the honor Sunday on the track’s road course, taking the lead from Joey Logano with two laps to go and pulling away to a comfortable 2.119-second victory over the former series champion.
Bell, 26, is the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and this is his second season at the premier level — his first driving for the championship Gibbs organization. His work Sunday, however, was more reminiscent of a veteran. There were eight caution flags, eight race leaders and a whole lot of action in the waning laps.
RELATED: Official race results | At-track photos
Bell pulled around Logano in the chicane just yards before the white flag and easily stretched the lead to earn his first career NASCAR Cup Series trophy. Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin finished third, followed by Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski.
Kevin Harvick, AJ Allmendinger, last week’s Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell — also a first-time winner this season — Ryan Preece and Alex Bowman rounded out the top 10. This is just third time in NASCAR Cup Series history the season has started with two first-time winners — joining 1949 and 1950.
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Michael McDowall wins for the first time in 358 NASCAR starts. 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Michael McDowell was glued to Brad Keselowski's bumper, watching and waiting for his chance to win the Daytona 500.
Joey Logano was the leader, the laps were winding down and yet no one had the nerve to pull out of traffic. McDowell was certain Keselowski would go for it, eventually, and when he did, McDowell would play his hand.

     On the final lap, Keselowski attempted to dart around Logano, but Logano threw a block on his teammate that crashed them both. McDowell stayed right where he was, flat in the gas, and drove through a crash scene for a stunning upset.
"I knew he would go for a race-winning move, and my plan was to let him make that move,'' McDowell said. ''I knew I didn't want to make my move too early, so I was committed to the [Keselowski] bumper; and when he made the move, the hole opened up."
     A 100-1 underdog when the race began Sunday afternoon, McDowell won for the first time in 358 Cup starts when the checkered flag finally flew about 15 minutes after midnight. The race was stopped by rain for almost six hours and ended nine hours after the green flag waved at Daytona International Speedway.
"There's been lots of years where I was wondering what the heck am I doing and why am I doing it?" McDowell said. "I always knew if I just kept grinding that one day everything will line up and go right.''
NASCAR's season opener was stacked with storylines. Denny Hamlin was trying for a record third consecutive Daytona 500 victory, and the team he started with Michael Jordan was debuting with driver Bubba Wallace.
Kyle Larson was back after nearly a year in exile for using a racial slur, and reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott was going for his first Daytona 500 win.
And all the way at the back of the field, 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope made what he said would be his final NASCAR start. At 62, he was the oldest driver in the field, and his upset victory 31 years ago was considered the biggest in race history.
McDowell didn't take that title from Cope, partly because McDowell is a strong superspeedway racer capable of mixing it up with the usual suspects. If he could ever find himself in the right place at the right time, McDowell figured he could steal a win.
"It's been a tough road for me. I've had to spend a lot of years grinding it out,'' McDowell said. His career has been stabilized by four seasons driving for Front Row Motorsports, a tiny team in the Ford family that can hold its own at Daytona.
McDowell was in the mix even before the two Penske cars derailed the finish. His Ford was strong enough to push Keselowski, and McDowell figured with the checkered flag in sight, he would try to pass Keselowski as they exited the final turn.
Daytona 500 ends with massive, last-lap crashPenske Racing teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are in the middle of a big wreck on the final lap of the Daytona 500, which results in a win for Michael McDowell.
Logano's block of Keselowski -- it seemed late, as Keselowski had already started to pull alongside his teammate -- triggered a fiery, multiple-car pileup that was in McDowell's rearview mirror.
"Brad was turning right, Joey was turning left and I went right through the middle,'' McDowell said. "It's just kind of a blur from there.''
Keselowski subtly blamed Logano for the messy finish.
"I wanted to make the pass to win the Daytona 500, and it ended up really bad,'' Keselowski said. "I don't feel like I made a mistake, but I can't drive everybody else's car. So frustrating.''
Logano had no explanation for the ending.
''Pandemonium, I guess. Chaos struck," said Logano, who then praised McDowell. "It's a real bummer that none of the Penske cars won, but at least a Ford won, and I'm really happy for McDowell.
"If we couldn't win, I'm really happy to see McDowell win this thing.''

Michael McDowell's victory in the Daytona 500 was his first in 358 career Cup Series starts. Jared C. Tilton/Getty ImagesMcDowell, who led less than half of a lap, drag raced Elliott and Austin Dillon, until NASCAR finally called a caution.
A batch of solid contenders were knocked from the race just 15 laps in by a 16-car accident that began at the front of the field. It thinned the pack and set up a showdown between Kevin Harvick and Hamlin.
Hamlin and Harvick had the two best cars, but pit strategy ended Hamlin's shot at winning a record third consecutive Daytona 500. The Ford drivers pitted first as a group, followed by the Chevrolets a lap later and finally the Toyotas.
But the Toyota group has just five cars, and they couldn't group back together to reclaim control of the race. It put Logano, Keselowski and the Ford drivers out front, and Logano led the final 25 laps, until Keselowski made his move.
McDowell held off Elliott and Dillon. Harvick finished fourth, and Hamlin was fifth after leading a race-high 98 laps.
Only 11 cars finished on the lead lap.
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Cooper Webb used speed, timing, and race management to pull in his second win of the 2021 season. Photo Credit: Feld Entertainment, Inc.  ​

Cooper Webb Storms Orlando Supercross and Reclaims 450SX Class Momentum
Jett Lawrence Grabs Second 250SX Class Win

Zach Osborne grabbed the holeshot and had the speed to keep the pack behind him in the 450SX Class Main Event but a big mistake in the whoops allowed three riders to get by as he recovered. Muc-Off Honda's Justin Brayton took over the point position with Ken Roczen right on his rear tire. Roczen was coming off a three-win streak, but that only motivated Cooper Webb more; the KTM rider sat close in third. Just over three minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race, Webb positioned himself to pass both riders in a single corner. Like that, Webb had the lead with Roczen using the moment to get around Brayton even as he lost a spot to Webb.
 
Opening round winner Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull / GASGAS Factory Racing's Justin Barcia was soon past Brayton also, and the three riders rounded the track nearly in formation just slightly out of range for any of them to make a pass attempt. With just over five minutes left on the race clock Barcia had an incredible save in the whoops. He was thrown from his bike but managed to stay in touch long enough to jump back on without hitting the ground. Osborne took advantage of the mistake to take third spot – in the same section where he'd lost the race lead – and held it to the end despite a constant push from Barcia.
 
2020 defending champion Monster Energy Kawasaki's Eli Tomac had a tough night after a mid-pack start and rounding the first lap in 11th place. Tomac charged hard on the retro-track layout that commemorated the last time the series visited the venue and that event's battle between James Stewart and retiring 5-time champion Ricky Carmichael in his final Monster Energy Supercross race. At the 2021 running of Orlando, Tomac made steady progress forward and reached fifth by the checkered flag. 

JASON BELMONTE WINS SIXTH CAREER CHRIS SCHENKEL PBA PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

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Ties Earl Anthony for second-most Player of the Year Awards in PBA history

New York, NY – Australia’s Jason Belmonte was voted the 2020 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year, announced today by PBA CEO Colie Edison and PBA commissioner Tom Clark on FloBowling. Belmonte received the vast majority of votes from PBA membership and veteran bowling writers, with Bill O’Neill coming in a distant second and Kris Prather third.
This is the second consecutive and sixth career Player of the Year Award for Belmonte, tying PBA Hall of Famer Earl Anthony for the second-most all-time POY awards. Only Walter Ray Williams Jr., with seven, has more.
“Being the Player of the Year is the highest honour a PBA player can have and I’m proud to own that title again,” said Belmonte. “It’s the ultimate reward for a year of dedication and travel and leaving loved ones. To equal the great Earl Anthony with six is amazing and something special to me.”
Belmonte, 37, won two major championships in 2020 to extend his PBA record to 13 career major victories. His win in the U.S. Open made him the second player in history, after Mike Aulby, to complete the Super Slam of all five major titles. In the final event before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a pause to the season, Belmonte won his third consecutive PBA World Championship.
With another groundbreaking year complete, Belmonte has set his goals even higher.
“I have my eyes firmly set on Walter Ray’s record of seven Player of the Year Awards and to continue to build my resume with major and national title wins,” said Belmonte. “More specifically the U.S. Open. Winning that event, a second time will see me holding the Super Slam twice. That would be amazing.”
After nearly seven months at home, Belmonte returned to the United States and won his third PBA Chameleon Championship for his 25th overall career title. Belmonte is now tied for 10th all-time with Hall of Famer Brian Voss. His three titles in 2020 were more than any other player aside from Kyle Troup, who also had three wins.
In the 13 events he entered, Belmonte finished in the top five eight times and led all players in both competition points, average (225.31) and earnings (a career-best $292,800). By qualifying for all four major championship finals telecasts, Belmonte became the first player in PBA history to advance to the championship finals in four majors in a single season for the third time, matching his accomplishments in 2019 and 2013. No other player has done so more than once.
Belmonte was chosen among seven other finalists: Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa.; Kris Prather of Plainfield, Ill.; Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill.; Mo.; Anthony Simonsen of Little Elm, Texas, Sweden’s Jesper Svensson, EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Ind., and Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, N.C.
Other 2020 PBA Tour award winners announced yesterday include Brad Miller, who was voted by his peers as the Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner, and PBA Hall of Famer Danny Wiseman, who earned the Tony Reyes Community Service Award for his dedication and efforts in supporting and growing youth bowling.
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$1 Million PBA Players Championship to Kick off New Season on FOX 
New York, NY – 

​Today, the Professional Bowlers Association announced the PBA Tour will begin its 2021 season with the $1 Million PBA Players Championship tournament starting the weekend of Jan. 15.
The Major event will kick off the long-awaited return of PBA Tour competition with a revolutionary new format and a record-setting $250K first place prize on the line.
For the first-time, the PBA is offering all its members the opportunity to compete for a Major Title by hosting five regional qualifying events that will take place simultaneously at different Bowlero locations around the country – Bowlero Christown in Phoenix, Ariz., AMF Garland Lanes in Garland, Texas, Bowlero Wauwatosa in Milwaukee, Wis., Bowlero West End in Richmond, Va., and AMF University Lanes in Tampa, Fla.
The top five players from each qualifying event will then advance to a series of five televised regional finals, all taking place at Bowlero Jupiter in Jupiter, Fla. beginning on Sunday Jan. 24 through February 14 on Fox Sports’ FS1. The culminating sixth telecast will feature the five regional winners competing in the Championship Finals live on FOX Broadcast Channel, Sunday, Feb. 21 at 12:30 EST.
The tentative TV schedule is as follows. Airtimes TBC and subject to change.
Jan. 24: PBA Players Championship West Region Finals, FS1
Jan. 31: PBA Players Championship Southwest Region Finals, FS1
Feb. 6: PBA Players Championship Central Region Finals, FS1
Feb. 7: PBA Players Championship East Region Finals, FS1
Feb. 14: PBA Players Championship South Region Finals, FS1
Feb. 21: PBA Players Championship Finals, FOX Broadcast Channel
Another highlight to the reinvented Players Championship – the $1 Million total prize fund with BIG prizes on the line for first to fifth place finishers – $250K, $130K, $80K, $60K, and $50K, given out respectively.
“We are thrilled to announce the return of the PBA Tour, launching our 2021 season with the re-imagined PBA Players Championship,” said Colie Edison, CEO of the PBA. “The new format gives our entire membership base an opportunity to safely participate, while competing with the Tour’s elite bowlers for a Major Title and life-changing prize money.”
With a new identity, the PBA Players Championship format will allow players to compete closer to home in regional qualifying locations to mitigate risks brought on by travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Qualifying locations have been predetermined for players based on their current residence as follows.
  • West: Bowlero Christown, Phoenix, Ariz.
  • Southwest: AMF Garland Lanes, Garland, Texas
  • Central: Bowlero Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Wis.
  • East: Bowlero West End, Richmond, Va.
  • South: AMF University Lanes, Tampa, Fla.
The National Tour’s Top 75 players in 2020 points, Hall of Fame Recipients, and PBA Title Holders will have priority entry into their region’s PBA Players Championship qualifier from Thursday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. CST to Sunday, Dec. 20 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
$1 Million PBA Players Championship to Kick off New Season on FOX
 
New York, NY – Today, the Professional Bowlers Association announced the PBA Tour will begin its 2021 season with the $1 Million PBA Players Championship tournament starting the weekend of Jan. 15.
The Major event will kick off the long-awaited return of PBA Tour competition with a revolutionary new format and a record-setting $250K first place prize on the line.
For the first-time, the PBA is offering all its members the opportunity to compete for a Major Title by hosting five regional qualifying events that will take place simultaneously at different Bowlero locations around the country – Bowlero Christown in Phoenix, Ariz., AMF Garland Lanes in Garland, Texas, Bowlero Wauwatosa in Milwaukee, Wis., Bowlero West End in Richmond, Va., and AMF University Lanes in Tampa, Fla.
The top five players from each qualifying event will then advance to a series of five televised regional finals, all taking place at Bowlero Jupiter in Jupiter, Fla. beginning on Sunday Jan. 24 through February 14 on Fox Sports’ FS1. The culminating sixth telecast will feature the five regional winners competing in the Championship Finals live on FOX Broadcast Channel, Sunday, Feb. 21 at 12:30 EST.
The tentative TV schedule is as follows. Airtimes TBC and subject to change.
Jan. 24: PBA Players Championship West Region Finals, FS1
Jan. 31: PBA Players Championship Southwest Region Finals, FS1
Feb. 6: PBA Players Championship Central Region Finals, FS1
Feb. 7: PBA Players Championship East Region Finals, FS1
Feb. 14: PBA Players Championship South Region Finals, FS1
Feb. 21: PBA Players Championship Finals, FOX Broadcast Channel
Another highlight to the reinvented Players Championship – the $1 Million total prize fund with BIG prizes on the line for first to fifth place finishers – $250K, $130K, $80K, $60K, and $50K, given out respectively.
“We are thrilled to announce the return of the PBA Tour, launching our 2021 season with the re-imagined PBA Players Championship,” said Colie Edison, CEO of the PBA. “The new format gives our entire membership base an opportunity to safely participate, while competing with the Tour’s elite bowlers for a Major Title and life-changing prize money.”
With a new identity, the PBA Players Championship format will allow players to compete closer to home in regional qualifying locations to mitigate risks brought on by travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Qualifying locations have been predetermined for players based on their current residence as follows.
  • West: Bowlero Christown, Phoenix, Ariz.
  • Southwest: AMF Garland Lanes, Garland, Texas
  • Central: Bowlero Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Wis.
  • East: Bowlero West End, Richmond, Va.
  • South: AMF University Lanes, Tampa, Fla.
The National Tour’s Top 75 players in 2020 points, Hall of Fame Recipients, and PBA Title Holders will have priority entry into their region’s PBA Players Championship qualifier from Thursday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. CST to Sunday, Dec. 20 at 11:59 p.m. CST.

Kevin Harvick breaks 65-race drought, wins Cup race at Michigan

By Staff Report Kevin Harvick was in desperate need of a victory. A 65-race winless streak grew stale and a playoff berth was only guaranteed with a win.
Harvick finally got the win he’s been looking for and scored it Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, his first victory of 2022 and first since Sept. 19, 2020 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
A caution at Lap 160 altered the outcome of Sunday’s 400-miler, with the yellow flag flying after Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell collided on the frontstretch in the middle of green-flag pit stops. Chastain had just rejoined the track from pitting, and the duo was entrenched in a four-car battle for the lead prior to stops.
Under the caution period, Harvick stayed out to assume the lead, while Denny Hamlin won the race off pit road. But Hamlin incurred a penalty as a pit crew member stepped onto pit road, allowing polesitter Wallace to restart alongside Harvick on the front row. Harvick got the edge and hurried to his 59th career victory.
Wallace finished second ahead of Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman and Ty Gibbs completed the top 10. Gibbs scored his first career top 10 in his third career start.
The biggest melee of the day occurred at Lap 25, when Austin Cindric went nose-first into the Turn 2 wall in an eight-car wreck following the restart from a competition caution. JJ Yeley lost control of his No. 15 Ford after contact in Turn 1 and spun sideways in the middle of the pack, triggering an accident that took out Yeley, Cindric, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Harrison Burton.
Noah Gragson had a strong run early and was running inside the top five midway through the race. But the part-timer for Kaulig Racing lost control at Lap 108 exiting Turn 2, sliding into the outside wall and suffering irreparable damage to the No. 16 Chevrolet.

Bubba Wallace wins his first NASCAR Pole and talks 2022 and his love for MIS (Video)

By Taylor DesOrmeau-Courtesy of MLive
The FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway will air on a different channel from previous years – the USA Network.
USA Network is NBC’s cable replacement for the now-defunct NBCSN, which shut down at the end of 2021. Select Cup Series races are still televised on NBC.
The pre-race show begins at 2:30 p.m. and the green flag is scheduled to fly at 3:17 p.m. The post-race show is also on USA Network from 6 to 6:30 p.m.
Retired NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. is doing the play-by-play for Sunday’s race, per Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass. Typically, Earnhardt serves as one of the color commentators, but he occasionally takes over play-by-play duties as well.
The 200-lap race is split up into three stages, ending at Lap 45, 120 and 200.
The total purse for the race is $7.1 million.
Ty Gibbs won Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at MIS and Nick Sanchez won Saturday’s ARCA Series race at the track.
Starting lineup
Bubba Wallace is starting on the pole Sunday after clocking a lap averaging 190.703 mph in Saturday’s qualifying session. It’s his first career pole.
Here’s the top 10 qualifiers for Sunday’s race.
  1. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
  2. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
  3. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota
  4. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
  5. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford
  6. Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Chevrolet
  7. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Toyota
  8. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
  9. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
  10. Erik Jones (Byron, Michigan native), No. 43 Chevrolet
Betting favorites
Kyle Busch is the favorite to win on Sunday with +450 odds according to BetMGM (meaning a $100 bet would net $450).
The Toyotas were fastest in practice and qualifying, so it’s no coincidence that five of the eight drivers with the best odds are Toyota drivers. Here are the 10 favorites among the 37-car field.
  • Kyle Busch (+450)
  • Denny Hamlin (+650)
  • Chase Elliott (+800)
  • Kyle Larson (+900)
  • Martin Truex Jr. (+900)
  • Bubba Wallace (+1000)
  • Christopher Bell (+1000)
  • Tyler Reddick (+1000)
  • Joey Logano (+1400)
  • Ross Chastain (+1400)
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Rocket Mortgage Classic: News and Notes-
​
Story... MGS Pg. 

FINAL-ROUND NOTES: 
·       Tony Finau’s winning score of 26-under-par 262 sets a new tournament record for lowest 72-hole score, eclipsing Nate Lashley’s 25-under 263 total in 2019. 
·       Finau’s Rocket Mortgage Classic victory is his fourth PGA TOUR title and his second in a row after claiming last week's 3M Open. He earned $1,512,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points, jumping to seventh in the PGA TOUR’s 2021-22 FedExCup standings. He is projected to advance three spots to No. 13 in the Official Golf World Ranking.     
·       Making his Rocket Mortgage Classic debut, sponsor exemption Joohyung Kim carded a 9-under 63 in the final round to tie the tournament record for lowest 18-hole score. His seventh-place finish marks his highest career PGA TOUR finish in a U.S. event.  There have been five other 63s in the four-year history of the tournament – Cameron Young (R2, 2022), Davis Thompson (R1, 2021), Nate Lashley (R1 and R3, 2019), J.T. Poston (R2, 2019). 
·       The Rocket Mortgage Classic continues its tradition of pledging donations to the community through the AREA 313 Challenge during tournament play. The donations total $210,00 through the tournament week.  
·              Final round - 5 Eagles on #14, 0 Aces on #15, 12 Birdies on #16 
·              Round 3 – 2 Eagles on #14, 0 Aces on #15, 14 Birdies on #16 
·              Round 2 – 2 Eagles on #14, 1 Ace on #15, 20 Birdies on #16 
·              Round 1 – 3 Eagles on #14, 0 Aces on #15, 18 Birdies on #16 

Double Trouble after Pocono seals Hamlin and Kyle Busch

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LONG POND, Pa. — The Nos. 11 and 18 cars of Joe Gibbs Racing, which had finished first and second hours earlier, were disqualified following Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway. RELATED: Official race results Initially, Denny Hamlin had sailed to victory from the pole position for his third win of the year, with Kyle Busch right behind him finishing second in the No. 18. The ruling after post-race inspection, though, meant Chase Elliott was declared the official winner of the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 after initially finishing third. Tyler Reddick moved up to second, Daniel Suárez third, Christopher Bell fourth and Kyle Larson fifth. Michael McDowell, Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones and Austin Dillon made up the top 10 finishing order. NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran announced the front fascia on both JGR entries was the source of the issues leading to their disqualification. “There was some issues discovered that affect aero of the vehicle. The part was the front fascia,” Moran explained Sunday. “And there really was no reason why there was some material that was somewhere that it shouldn’t have been, and that does basically come down to a DQ.” Moran confirmed both vehicles were loaded into a NASCAR hauler and will be taken back to the sanctioning body’s R&D center for further evaluation. Joe Gibbs Racing will have the opportunity to appeal the penalty by noon on Monday, July 25. “We were shocked to learn of the infraction that caused our two cars to fail NASCAR’s post-race technical inspection,” team owner Joe Gibbs said in a statement. “We plan to review every part of the process that led to this situation.” Moran said Sunday’s discoveries in post-race inspection do not currently warrant any further penalties to the infracting teams. “We saw enough that the DQ was warranted and we are bringing the vehicles back for further evaluation,” Moran said. “So we will look much closer at both vehicles, but as of right now, no, we are hopefully not going to find anything else. But we are going to inspect them further when we get back to the R&D Center.” Sunday’s finding is the first instance of a race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series being disqualified since 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson (NC) Speedway was thrown out because of an oversized fuel tank. Joe Weatherly declared winner of that race. There have been three winners whose cars were disqualified post-race since 2019, when NASCAR implemented harsher post-race inspection penalties: Kyle Busch in 2020 at Texas in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Austin Cindric was declared the winner); Denny Hamlin in 2019 at Darlington in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Cole Custer was declared the winner); and Ross Chastain in 2019 at Iowa Speedway in the Truck Series (Brett Moffitt was declared the winner). Moran believes this Sunday’s DQ was, in part, the result of a tighter rule book with the series’ move to the Next Gen vehicle. “It’s unfortunate. We don’t want to be here talking about this,” Moran said. “We just saw a great race. The last thing we want to do is meet here afterwards and talk about this problem. But the teams and the owners and everybody is well aware that this new car was going to be kept with some pretty tight tolerances, and there’s some areas that all the teams are well aware that we cannot be going down the path that we had in the past with the other car. “So it is partly to do with the new car and the rules have tightened up. Everyone has to abide by our new rules, which everybody’s well aware of.” Hamlin led 21 of the 160 laps in total, including the final 18 circuits around the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track. Busch led a race-high 63 laps. They were relegated to the last two spots on the 36-driver results sheet.

Staff contributed to this report.

Blue Jays hit inside-the-park Grand Slam against the Red Sox
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NASCAR Bell Wins- Highlights Below

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 Final Results

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Kupcho and Salas talk about how they formed their powerful team and how the rain coming in will play to their Best Ball Challenge in Round 4.
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Dow renews with the LPGA through 2029

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Dow must like what they see. This doubles invitational tournament has seen the best fields outside of the majors on the LPGA Tour. 
   It was a real treat to see Morgan Pressel team up with Paula Creamer last year and this year, LPGA GOAT Annika Sorenstam has teamed up with 

SInce 2018, over one million has been raised for charity with a multiple of 


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Roush Fenway Racing changes name to RFK to add Keselowski

CONCORD, N.C. — Brad Keselowski was referred to as “the spark” numerous times Tuesday during Roush Fenway Racing‘s rebrand unveil at Charlotte Motor Speedway. If that’s the case, team owner Jack Roush kept the embers hot and burning over the years.
Together, they hope to recreate a full-fledged fire with what is now known as RFK Racing come the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.
“I think on the surface, when you look at them, you may not think that they are aligned and similar,” president Steve Newmark said. “But I think Chris Buescher characterized it best, I‘ll share with you, when he said Brad Keselowski is more like Jack Roush than any other driver in the garage.”
RELATED: Roush Fenway Racing rebrands to RFK Racing | All of Roush Fenway’s wins by driver
Buescher is now Keselowski‘s sole teammate. Keselowski and Roush announced their partnership back in July, and since the 2021 season concluded two weeks ago, they‘re officially a duo. Keselowski is now the driver of the No. 6 Ford and a part owner of RFK Racing. Buescher will pilot the No. 17 car.
While Keselowski came into the organization prepped with ideas for change — for example, the recent facility updates — he has also perfectly fit into the mold Roush has built. Again, similar characteristics at play.
“They‘re extremely cerebral,” Newmark said. “They are very detail-oriented and thoughtful. They are going to immerse themselves in everything. They don‘t believe that hey, this stuff is below me. …
“(Brad) also recognizes that every person in the company matters. And that was always very important to Jack. He said, ‘Everybody contributes and we should treat everybody with respect regardless of where they are in the hierarchy.‘ And I’ve seen that right away from Brad.”
Roush is 79 years old and held ownership in the Cup Series since 1988. Keselowski, now 37, had his first taste of Cup competition in 2008 and started full-time racing in 2010.
The head boss jokes he hasn‘t made up his mind about the youngster yet.
“We are still circling one another,” Roush said. “Haven‘t gotten the full measure of the size of the other dog.”
Meanwhile, Keselowski is well aware of who he has joined — a NASCAR Hall of Famer.
“I‘ve got a lot of wins to catch up on,” Keselowski said. “He‘s got, I think we said the other day, 300-plus NASCAR wins. I haven‘t gotten to 100, I would like to get to 100 as a driver. But even if I do, I‘ll still be 200 behind him. So, a lot of work to do.”
WATCH: Brad Keselowski talks about crew chief Matt McCall
Roush has tallied 325 NASCAR national series wins as an owner. That breaks down into 137 at the Cup Series level, 138 in the Xfinity Series and 50 in the Camping World Truck Series.
Keselowski holds 75 victories as a driver. He has won 35 races in the Cup Series, including one this past season, 39 in the Xfinity Series and one in the Camping World Truck Series. He does have prior Trucks ownership experience, where he added 11 wins.
“I‘ll be able to back away some and to not go to all the races and not be the first one on top of the pit box and the last one in my car to go home as I‘ve been in the past for most of my time,” Roush said. “I enjoy passing the baton to Brad. Steve questioned me if I was really willing to do that and I said, ‘Well, as long as I can keep one hand on it for a while, it will work for me.‘ ”

•• Five Big Ten teams appear in the Associated Press Poll this week, highlighted by three of the top 10 teams in the country. Michigan State leads the conference at No. 5, followed by No. 6 Ohio State, No. 9 Michigan, No. 19 Iowa, and No. 22 Penn State.
• The Big Ten (three teams) is the only conference with more than two teams ranked in the top-10 of the AP Poll. The only other conference with multiple teams ranked in the top-10 is the SEC (two teams).
​• No. 5 Michigan State (8-0) defeated then-No. 6 Michigan, 37-33, and is now one of just six undefeated teams remaining in the FBS. The Spartans are 8-0 for the first time since 2015 and for just the seventh time ever in program history. The win over Michigan marked Michigan State’s first win over an AP Top 10 team since they defeated No. 8 Penn State on Oct. 13, 2018, and the Spartans’ highest-ranked win since they defeated No. 4 Iowa in the 2015 Big Ten Football Championship Game.


• Michigan State junior RB Kenneth Walker III was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 197 yards and five touchdowns on 23 carries (8.57 avg.) in the win vs. Michigan. Walker scored all five of Michigan State’s touchdowns, becoming just the second FBS player to record five rushing touchdowns in a game this season. Walker leads the FBS is rushing yards per game (149.2), is tied for third in the FBS in rushing touchdowns (14) and total touchdowns (15), and ranks fifth in all-purpose yards per game (153.75).


• No. 6 Ohio State improved to 7-1 on the season and 5-0 in the Big Ten with a 33-24 win over then-No. 20 Penn State on Saturday. The Buckeyes lead the nation in scoring offense (47.2 ppg), rank second in total offense (548.1) and third in team passing efficiency (183.34). The Buckeyes are one of just two teams in the nation to average more than 45 points per game this season along with the No. 2 scoring offense, Alabama (45.9).


• Defensively, Ohio State held Penn State to 33 yards rushing. Dating back to Week 3, the Buckeyes are surrendering just 66.2 rushing yards per game and in their last three wins they are allowing just 45.7 yards per game on the ground.


• Minnesota defeated Northwestern on the road, 41-14, to win its fourth game in a row and move into first place in the Big Ten West. With the victory, the Gophers became bowl-eligible for the third time under head coach P.J. Fleck. The Gophers are now 3-0 on the road this season and have an unblemished road record through three games for just the fourth time since 1961.


• The Gophers finished with 442 yards of total offense, including 308 rushing yards. The ground game was powered by freshmen RBs Mar’Keise Irving (110 yards) and Ky Thomas (106 yards), who each compiled more than 100 yards rushing for the second straight week. Irving and Thomas are the first pair of Minnesota running backs to record back-to-back 100-yard games since Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell in 2005.


• Wisconsin earned its fourth straight win, and its third straight conference win, with a 27-7 victory over then-No. 9 Iowa. The victory marked Wisconsin’s second consecutive victory over an AP Top 25 team and their first against a top-10 team since they defeated No. 9 Minnesota on Nov. 30, 2019. The last time that Wisconsin defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks was in 2017.


• The Badgers rank No. 1 in the nation in total defense (214.6 ypg) and rushing defense (49.6 ypg). The Wisconsin run defense leads the No. 2-ranked run defense (Georgia, 75.6 ypg) by 26 yards per game. Wisconsin is surrendering just 7.5 points and 180.3 yards per game during their four-game win streak. After holding Purdue to -13 rushing yards in their Week 8 win over the Boilermakers, the Badgers limited the Hawkeyes to a season-low 24 yards rushing.


• Purdue defeated Nebraska 28-23 to improve to 3-2 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers defense notched four interceptions, marking the second time in three games that Purdue has registered four interceptions. Junior LB/S Jalen Graham was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after snagging two interceptions, including a 45-yard pick-six. Graham became the second Purdue defender to record two interceptions in a game this season, joining junior safety Cam Allen. Graham is just the 12th Purdue defender to record a multi-interception game since 2000.


• Maryland topped Indiana, 38-35, and is now 5-3 on the season. Sophomore QB Taulia Tagovailoa threw for a career-high 419 yards and two touchdowns in the game, marking the first 400-yard passing performance by a Maryland quarterback since Danny O’Brien threw for 417 yards against NC State on Nov. 27, 2010. Tagovailoa’s 419 yards are the third-most in a single game in Maryland history, trailing only Scott Milanovich’s 498 vs. Virginia Tech and 451 vs. West Virginia in 1993.


• Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano earned his 75th win as head coach of the Scarlet Knights with a 20-14 victory at Illinois. Schiano needs just four wins to pass Frank Burns (78) for the most wins by a head coach in Rutgers history. The Scarlet Knights defense allowed just 10 total first downs, tying Rutgers’ program record in Big Ten play (also allowed 10 first downs vs. Illinois in 2016).
• Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State have all secured bowl eligibility by reaching six wins this season, while Maryland, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin need just one more win to become eligible. The Big Ten will continue to feature the largest bowl lineup in conference history.
• The Big Ten boasts five teams who rank among the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense: Iowa (t-4th, 16.1 ppg), Penn State (t-8th, 17.0), Wisconsin (t-8th, 17.0). Michigan (t-10th, 17.1) and Purdue (t-10th, 17.1). The conference has two teams in the top 10 in terms of rushing defense (No. 1 Wisconsin at 49.6 ypg, and No. 8 Minnesota at 92.9 ypg) and four teams in the top 10 in terms of defensive passing efficiency: Iowa (3rd, 101.97), Penn State (6th, 103.56), Purdue (8th, 106.42) and Wisconsin (10th, 110.30).


• In 2021, the Big Ten has seen top-five single-game FBS rushing-yard performances from Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson (2nd, 270 vs. Tulsa), Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III (4th, 264 at Northwestern) and Illinois’ Chase Brown (5th, 257 vs. Charlotte). The Big Ten has three additional 200-plus yard rushing performances this season: Walker III’s 233 yards at Rutgers on Oct. 9, Brown’s 223 yards at Penn State on Oct. 23, and Northwestern’s Evan Hull’s 216 yards vs. Ohio on Sept. 25.


• Additional top-five single-game FBS performances in the Big Ten include: Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud (5th, 266.174 passing efficiency), Purdue’s David Bell (2nd, 240 receiving yards at Iowa), Northwestern’s Brandon Joseph (4th, 111 punt return yards vs. Indiana State), Nebraska’s Luke Reimer (2nd, 19 tackles), and Wisconsin’s Leo Chenal (2nd, 5.5 tackles for loss).
• On October 10, for the first time in the history of the Associated Press college football poll (established in 1936), the Big Ten has five teams ranked in the top 10. Iowa leads the conference at No. 2, followed by No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State, No. 8 Michigan, and No. 10 Michigan State.     
• The 2021 Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 4, at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium and will be televised nationally on FOX. The winner will earn the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy and a chance to play in one of the six bowls that comprise the College Football Playoff, including the Rose Bowl Game.

 Denny Hamlin outlasts Kyle Larson at Darlington to win the Southern 500

 By Nick Bromberg
     Denny Hamlin picked a great time for the first win of the season.
Hamlin won his first race of 2021 in the first race of the playoffs on Sunday night as he beat Kyle Larson to the checkered flag. The win advances Hamlin to the second round of the playoffs after he was beaten to the regular season title by Larson.
Larson caught Hamlin on the final lap and both drivers hit the wall. But Hamlin was able to keep his car ahead of Larson as they went toward the checkered flag.
-Hamlin and Larson were the best drivers of the first 26 races. While Hamlin was really good, Larson was better. Hamlin was winless in the regular season while Larson won five times. 
Those five wins got Larson the regular-season title over Hamlin and the bonus points that came with it. But Hamlin entered the playoffs as a title threat despite the lack of wins. You're always a title threat when you have an average finish inside of the top 10. 
Larson will make the second round of the playoffs too. He had more than double the playoff points of any other driver and could lock himself into the second round as soon as next week's race at Richmond. Larson and Hamlin are two of the favorites to make the final four at Phoenix on Nov. 7. 
Hamlin was leading with less than 50 laps to go when Ryan Blaney spun. That brought out a caution and evened out the strategies that Hamlin and Larson were employing. Hamlin had the lead before Blaney's crash hoping to pit earlier than Larson on the final pit stop and maintain his track position for the win.
The caution ended the competing strategies and put everyone straight up. Larson got second from Ross Chastain on the restart but was never able to actually attempt a pass on Hamlin. 
Other playoff drivers have troubleThere were a bunch of playoff drivers who had problems at Darlington. Kyle Busch crashed. So did Michael McDowell. Chase Elliott missed pit road under caution and got a flat tire after the following restart when he was back in traffic. Alex Bowman hit the wall and collected teammate William Byron.
Busch was, unsurprisingly, unhappy after he hit the wall and crashed out of the race. He came down on Austin Dillon and found himself in the wall after his car got loose. Busch ended up finishing the race 35th out of 37 cars. 
Ross Chastain finished third while Martin Truex Jr. was fourth and Kevin Harvick was fifth. The sheer quantity of playoff drivers who had problems on Sunday night means that the playoff standings are still pretty straightforward heading into the second race of the second round at Richmond on Saturday.
Points standings1. Denny Hamlin (win)
2. Kyle Larson (+80 on 13th)
3. Martin Truex Jr. (+36)
4. Kurt Busch (+26)
5. Ryan Blaney (+22)
6. Joey Logano (+21)
7. Kevin Harvick (+20)
8. Brad Keselowski (+12)
9. Christopher Bell (+5)
10. Chase Elliott (+4)
11. Aric Almirola (+3)
12. Tyler Reddick (Tie)
13. Alex Bowman (Tie)
14. Kyle Busch (-2)
15. William Byron (-9)
16. Michael McDowell (-20)
Race results1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kyle Larson
3. Ross Chastain
4. Martin Truex Jr.
5. Kevin Harvick.

NASCAR's Kyle Larson on his 2021 season, the NASCAR playoffs and his rivalry with Chase Elliott

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Ryan Blaney wins at MIS on late charge (Interview below highlights)

An Interview with: Ryan Blaney 
Q. No burnout because he said, I was so exhausted from the final few laps, I didn't have time to think about one. Maybe the hardest 10 laps you've driven in your life, Ryan?
RYAN BLANEY: Yeah, pretty close to it. Yeah, got a great push by the 18 on the restart, was able to get clear there. Michigan is a matter of pretty much running wide open and trying to play the air game. I hate you have to race that way. That's how you have to run. Worked out for us.
Man, I'm proud of everybody on the 12 team. Man, we weren't great to start the day off, kept working and working, got a lot better. It's so cool to get in Victory Lane for Ford here. This is such a huge win for Ford, Penske, Menards Cardell, Bodyarmor. I can't thank them enough, what they do. That was cool, man. I'm fired up. I'm fired up.
 
Q. After the first run of the day, if I told you, you were going to come back and win this thing, what would you have told me?
RYAN BLANEY: I'd tell you, you were crazy. We just worked on it a lot. We had our problems early. We took a lot of time to try to fix it. We got better and better. Picked a good lane on the restart there and got the push.
It was really the push. The 18 pushing me, that was the whole thing. I appreciate Kyle for pushing me through there. Thanks everybody for coming. Hope you enjoyed it.

AJ Allmendinger takes 3OT's to win at Michigan

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It took AJ Allmendinger three times to outlast the field, but he took the third restart to the house and wins in the Xfinity Cup for the third time this season at the New Holland 250 at Michigan International Speedway. 
Cautions came both early and late at MIS and the Xfinity points series leader Daniel Hemric was a factor early in the race, but he was caught up in a multi-car accident on lap 41/125 and was retired by NASCAR as he had extensive damage to his car. 
Allmendinger was the class of the field early, he led most of the first stage, but Cindric held off all comers and won the ten bonus points the first stage awarded. 
Stage two found new leaders and a couple of cautions that took out several drivers including Cindric. 
Stage two was a quick stage as cautions and the stage one and two transition took up 15 of the 30 laps. 
A very impressive Ty Gibbs won the ARCA race at MIS on Friday evening, and led this youngster to two second place finishes in stages one and two, but a late brush with the wall left him off the leader board in a second overtime accident. 
Stage three saw multiple drivers in the lead. Allmendinger ran top five in the final stretch, but substitute driver Josh Berry grabbed the lead with an outside lane move the catapulted him past multiple drivers. Berry led twice for 24 laps in the race. He was never able to gain the momentum again in the overtimes and his fourth place finish was outstanding considering his late assignment. Justin Allgaier led three times in the race late for a total of nine laps, but he was caught in traffic and faded late. Brandon Jones and Noah Gregson finished second and third. They took advantage of late pit stops and the final restart to end up behind Allmendinger. Allmendinger's final restart was a thing of beauty. He pulled ahead and never looked back over the final two laps and cruised to his third victory of the season in the Xfinity series after adding his surprise win last weekend at the INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE NEWS AND NOTES:
AJ Allmendinger won the 29th Annual New Holland 250, his eighth victory in 49 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. This is his third victory and 15th top-10 finish in 2021. This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in his series debut at Michigan International Speedway. Brandon Jones (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in five races at Michigan International Speedway. It is his 12th top-10 finish in 2021. Noah Gragson (third) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at Michigan International Speedway. Josh Berry (fourth) was the highest finishing rookie. This is Kaulig Racing's 11th victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Race Fast Facts Michigan International Speedway Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Saturday, 8/21/2021 @ 06:23 PM Eastern 29th Annual New Holland 250 Race Winner: AJ Allmendinger Age: 39 T

Benny Cook Keeps Lead, Wins 100th Michigan PGA Professional Championship at Prestwick Village

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HIGHLAND – Benny Cook won the historic 100th Michigan PGA Professional Championship by four shots Wednesday at Prestwick Village Golf Club, but said he never felt comfortable.
  “I won by what, four shots, it was never that close,” he said. “I was grinding out there, and it was within two shots after 14 and it came close to being one shot after 15, and the golf course only firmed up and got a lot harder through the week. Today, I mean, there were some putts that were super slippery. I three-putted twice and I didn’t think I had bad putts.”
 Cook, a teaching professional from Yankee Springs Golf Course in Wayland, shot a final 1-under 71 for a 10-under 206, besting Kyle Dobbs of Walnut Creek Country Club by four shots. Dobbs closed with a 72, just missing birdie on the par 5 15th, and then making bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 as Cook parred his way through the final holes.
  Three golfers tied for third at 211; Chad Kurmel of Forest Akers West at Michigan State University, who shot 70, Christopher Sullivan, a sales representative for Sun Mountain, who shot 71, and Tim Pearce of Birmingham Country Club, who shot 73.
  Five-time champion Jeff Roth of Boyne Golf Academy shot 68 for 213, and Kosta Ramirez of Treetops Resort shot 74 for 214 to round out the seven golfers who finished under par on the firm and fast Prestwick course.
  Cook, who will have his name put on the Gilbert A. Currie Trophy for the second consecutive year, took home the $7,000 first-place check and will receive a sponsor’s exemption into the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic next summer at Detroit Golf Club.
  “Playing the Rocket will be sweet,” he said. “It’s awesome to win again. I’m happy I played well. The course was very challenging and I felt like I did all right. It’s hard to win on any stage. If Kyle makes his (birdie) putt on 15 who knows what happens? I’m just happy I made a couple good pars coming in and pulled it off.”
   Cook, because of his status on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and his low club professional finish in the PGA Championship earlier this year at Kiawah Island, S.C., is exempt through the first stage of Korn Ferry Tour qualifying. He will go to second stage in October.
  “It’s good momentum for sure,” he said. “Winning on a tough course like this against a great field, it helped me get better.”
  Dobbs, 46 and a Michigan native who returned to the state from Cape Cod, Mass., to work at Walnut Creek, said his game wasn’t sharp enough to catch Cook.
  “I don’t practice and play much anymore, so I just kind of come out and see if I can find it for the week,” he said. “This week I put a few things together even though I wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to be. I gave (Cook) my best, and he’s obviously a really good player. I knew my mistakes had to be minimal because he doesn’t give anything back.”
  The low nine golfers in the championship besides Cook, Scott Hebert of Traverse City Golf & Country Club, Roth, Pearce and Cody Haughton of Red Run Golf Club who are already exempt, earned spots in the 2022 PGA Professional National Championship next April at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas. The low 20 finishers from that national club pro championship move on to play with the best players in the world at next year’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
  Those securing one of the nine spots; Dobbs, Kurmel, Sullivan, Ramirez, Frank McAuliffe of Meadowbrook Country Club, Jim Dieters of Midland Country Club, Kyle Martin of Lochmoor Club, Scott Brotebeck of Flint Golf Club and Travis Dodson of Meadowbrook Country Club.
   The historic 100th Michigan PGA Professional Championship was presented by Cadillac, ROLEX and Club Car with supporting sponsors Nike, TaylorMade, Titleist/Footjoy, the Golf Channel and the PGA Tour.
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Andrew Anderson Wins PBA Strike Derby Presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon Defeats Anthony Simonsen in the championship match

Portland, Maine—Andrew Anderson out-struck 11 other PBA players to win the 2021 PBA Strike Derby presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon at Bayside Bowl, defeating Anthony Simonsen in the championship match. Anderson, the 2018 PBA Player of the Year, won in his PBA Strike Derby debut as Simonsen was the runner-up for the second straight year.
 
“I knew, against Simo, I would need to throw as many as I could,” said Anderson. “I knew he was going to get more shots off than me, so I had to make better shots. That’s all I could think about.”
 
Simonsen, the higher seed, chose to have Anderson bowl first. In two minutes, Anderson struck 11 times. Simonsen was unable to catch the total, striking nine times to finish second.
 
“My goal was to get 18 shots off every round,” said Anderson. “I did a couple practices and I could get to 20 shots, but they weren’t quality. Eighteen was the most I could get and still have enough good shots. I got some breaks along the way, but the energy from the crowd kept me going.”
 In each round of the PBA Strike Derby, players were given two minutes to strike as many times as possible. After all 12 players had a turn in the qualifying round, the top six advanced to the match play bracket.
 Anderson qualified as the No. 5 seed. He, along with four others, rolled nine strikes in the qualifying round, tying for fourth. Ties were broken first by longest string of strikes, then by fastest ball speed, leaving Kyle Troup, Anderson and Wes Malott inside the cut to the top six for match play. EJ Tackett and Sean Rash fell outside.
 
“I feel like this is my environment,” said Anderson. “When I grew up, I just rapid-fired shots. I tend to thrive in these types of situations. I love it.”
 
In head-to-head match play, Anderson put up 12 strikes to eliminate Troup, who managed five strikes. In the semifinals, Anderson defeated top seed Norm Duke, 8-4, to advance to the championship match with Simonsen.
 
“I just feel comfortable here,” said Anderson. “I bowl well in this building, my ball strikes quite a bit here and I threw a lot of messengers. I’m not really known for throwing a lot of pins around, but I felt like Troup and Simo a little bit today. It was awesome. What a fun time.”
 
Viewers can live stream the PBA on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. International fans can watch live on FloBowling.com.
 
PBA Strike Derby Presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon Results
Bayside Bowl – Portland, Maine
 
Qualifying
  1. Norm Duke, 11
  2. Packy Hanrahan, 10 (5)
  3. Anthony Simonsen, 10 (4)
  4. Kyle Troup, 9 (4, 19.7 MPH)
  5. Andrew Anderson, 9 (4, 19.0 MPH)
  6. Wes Malott, 9 (4, 18.6 MPH)
  7. EJ Tackett, 9 (3)
  8. Sean Rash, 9 (2)
  9. Jesper Svensson, 8
  10. Tom Smallwood, 7
  11. Kris Prather, 7
  12. Marshall Kent, 6
 
Ties were broken first by longest string of strikes, then fastest single ball thrown during the round (in parentheses where applicable).
 Match Play
No. 5 Andrew Anderson def. No. 4 Kyle Troup, 12-5
No. 3 Anthony Simonsen def. No. 6 Wes Malott, 10-6
 Semifinals
No. 5 Andrew Anderson def. No. 1 Norm Duke, 8-4
No. 3 Anthony Simonsen def. No. 2 Packy Hanrahan, 10-6
 Championship Match
No. 5 Andrew Anderson def. No. 3 Anthony Simonsen, 11-9

Chase Elliott adds a second win in 2021, captures Cup Series race at Road America

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Chase Elliott’s car wasn’t quite where it needed to be ahead of NASCAR’s Cup race at Road America. Elliott said that the No. 9 team was “still searching” following Sunday’s qualifying session in which time ran out before Elliott could run his fastest lap.
But that didn’t matter by the end of the race when Elliott was sitting comfortably in the lead, nearly six seconds ahead of second place finisher Christopher Bell and driving to his second win this season. Kyle Busch finished third.
“We’ve had a rough few weeks, so it feels really good,” Elliott said on NBC after a smoke-raising burnout he completed for fans on the frontstretch.
- ADVERTISEMENT -The defending Cup champion and NASCAR’s most popular driver then thrilled fans with another burnout near Turn 5 of the 14-turn course near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He said he was surprised by the support since he’s only run a handful of lower-level races in the state.
“It’s exciting when we change the schedule up and go to new places,” Elliott said. “You bring energy and excitement that our series deserves to have.”
The Cup Series made a long-awaited return to the track on Sunday. The last race for NASCAR’s top drivers at Road America was in 1956, but the sanctioning body laid out its 2021 schedule with the goal of mixing it up and spreading the wealth to different venues. Elliott’s victory clearly struck a chord with fans, but it wasn’t one he expected early in the race.
He started in the bottom 10, but was up to 10th place by the end of the first stage — a promising sign for the defending road course winner. In the final 20 laps, he was leading and said he didn’t need any more adjustments, just tires and fuel. Elliott pitted when a late-race caution came out, and even though he didn’t line up in the front row for the restart, his Chevy quickly got up to first place passing Aric Almirola and Busch.
The No. 9 then remained in the lead for the final 17 laps despite contact between Hendrick Motorsports teammates with five laps to go. Alex Bowman’s car had a brake issue and he sent Kyle Larson for a spin, but fortunately for Elliott, Larson was able to get straightened out without NASCAR throwing a caution. Elliott took the checkered flag then catered to the Fourth of July crowd.

Anthony Simonsen Wins PBA Tour Finals for Eighth Career PBA Tour Title

Defeats Kyle Troup in the title match to avenge loss in last year’s PBA Tour Finals


Allen Park, Mich.—Anthony Simonsen won the race-to-two-points championship match, 2-1, over Kyle Troup to win the 2021 PBA Tour Finals as Simonsen’s eighth career Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour title. In a rematch of last season’s PBA Tour Finals title match, Simonsen avenged his 2020 loss and claimed his first title since he won twice in 2019.
 
“I wanted to get out and bowl well,” said Simonsen. “If you bowl well and you lose, it’s a little easier to accept than when you bowl badly and lose. I was able to just bowl today and not have to manipulate everything.”
 
In the race-to-two points format, Troup took the first game and Simonsen responded with a 279 in game two to force a ninth-and-10th-frame roll-off.
 
“We’re bowling two games for a reason in this format,” said Simonsen. “I wanted to get myself lined up and find a clear mindset going into the next game. Once I got into a rhythm, it was on from there.”
 
Simonsen, the higher seed, elected to have Troup start the roll-off. Troup struck. Simonsen spared and then filled the 10th with three strikes, forcing Troup to get two strikes and a single pin to win. Troup struck on his first shot but left a 10 pin on the second shot, giving Simonsen his eighth career title.
 
“My double in the 10th was huge,” said Simonsen. “Making him have to get up and double on a lane that didn’t seem like any of us were super comfortable on. He made two really good shots, but the 10 pin is hard to knock over.”
 
Simonsen and Troup made it to the championship match by winning their respective groups during yesterday’s four-game qualifying block, then surviving the group stepladder finals earlier today.
 
Simonsen led Group 2 into the stepladder, then defeated Kris Prather in a roll-off in the Group 2 final match to advance to the championship against Troup.
 
Troup qualified as the second seed after four games of qualifying, then defeated Chris Via in a single game and Bill O’Neill in a roll-off to win the Group 1 stepladder and get to the championship match.
 
In the opening match of the Group 1 stepladder, Chris Via rolled the 32nd televised 300 game in a PBA Tour title event, knocking out two-time PBA Tour Finals champion EJ Tackett. Via, who joined Sean Rash and François Lavoie as the only players in PBA history to roll two televised perfect games in title events, also became the first player ever to bowl two televised perfect games in the same season, having rolled his first during the PBA Players Championship East Region Finals earlier this year. Via received a $10,000 bonus for the feat.
 
PBA Tour Finals Results
Thunderbowl Lanes – Allen Park, Mich.
 
Saturday, June 26 – Group 1 Qualifying
  1. Bill O’Neill, 1,062 (201, 235, 237, 239 plus 150 bonus pins)
  2. Kyle Troup, 997 (258, 212, 214, 213 plus 100 bonus pins)
  3. Chris Via, 869 (182, 183, 238, 206 plus 60 bonus pins)
  4. EJ Tackett, 804 (151, 192, 220, 211 plus 30 bonus pins)
 Saturday, June 26 – Group 2 Qualifying
  1. Anthony Simonsen, 1,079 (289, 227, 249, 219 plus 95 bonus pins)
  2. Kris Prather, 1,068 (234, 239, 227, 258 plus 110 bonus pins)
  3. Jesper Svensson, 1,041 (231, 279, 203, 243 plus 85 bonus pins)
  4. François Lavoie, 945 (215, 204, 260, 216 plus 50 bonus pins)



Lions defensive line moving up in several rankings

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Jeff Risdon
Thu, June 17, 2021, 7:58 AMThe Detroit Lions defensive line has not been a source of pride in the last couple of seasons. However, some smart additions and a new scheme have the unit pointing up for 2021.
In its latest positional rankings, Pro Football Focus placed the Lions defensive line at No. 24 overall. While that might still seem low, Detroit finished last year at No. 30 in PFF’s grading. The reason for the bump comes in the comments highlighting several of the new additions to the unit,
Detroit’s defensive line unit finished the 2020 season ranked 30th in PFF grade, ahead of only the Vikings and Texans. Several offseason additions on the interior — such as Michael Brockers, Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill — along with the return of a healthy Trey Flowers should improve matters in 2021, but the Lions still have a ways to go to get back to average.
The Lions fare a little better at FTN, where former Lions analyst Brett Whitefield ranked Detroit with the 19th-best DL. FTN’s rankings are more geared for fantasy football, but the expected bump in production would certainly count as real progress in the overall play of the new-look defensive front.
Finally, Michael Nania at Jets X-Factor combined some analytical data and projections and ranked the Lions at No. 24. Interestingly, the run defense fares quite well in this metric.

Kyle Larson dominates at Charlotte. Hendrick breaks Petty's owner win record

Larson won Sunday night's All-Star Race ahead of Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott at Texas Motor Speedway. The win doesn't officially count for Cup Series points, but it's Larson's third consecutive win after he won the Coca-Cola 600 and at Sonoma a week ago.
Larson started first on Sunday night via random draw and appeared to have the best car for most of the race. He went three-wide around Elliott, his teammate, and Team Penske's Keselowski right after the restart of the 10-lap final stage and was able to pass Keselowski for the lead on the next lap with eight laps to go.
While Keselowski was able to stay on Larson's bumper, Larson kept him at bay over the final few miles of the race.
"Did not imagine seeing myself winning this race today," Larson said after the race.
Larson isn't the Cup Series points leader, but he's been the fastest driver in the series — by far — over the last two months. It's a remarkable turnaround for a driver who was out of NASCAR a year ago after he said a racial slur during a virtual race and got fired from his ride at Chip Ganassi Racing.
That firing led to a second chance at Hendrick Motorsports and Larson has made the most of it. Hendrick has been incredibly strong — all four drivers have at least one win — and Larson has been the strongest of the bunch.
Keselowski finished second, while Elliott was third.
"Just to run second to the Hendrick cars right now is kind of an accomplishment," Keselowski said. "They're just stupid fast."
Keselowski's teammates, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, were fourth and fifth. Hendrick's Alex Bowman and William Byron then finished sixth and seventh.

Willie Mack III and Davis Thompson Receive Sponsor Exemptions for Rocket Mortgage Classic

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  • Mack III is a Flint, Mich. native and the 2011 Michigan Amateur champion; Thompson is a University of Georgia senior ranked fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
 
  • General admission tickets go on sale May 27 for competition rounds Thursday, July 1–Sunday, July 4 and the Delta Dental Pro-Am at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Wednesday, June 30.
DETROIT (May 19, 2021) – Willie Mack III, a native of Flint, Mich., and Davis Thompson, the fourth ranked amateur golfer in the world, have accepted sponsor exemptions to compete in this year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, which will be played at the historic Detroit Golf Club June 28-July 4.
 
For Mack III, he will realize a lifelong dream when he tees it up this summer in his home state’s PGA TOUR event. He made his PGA TOUR debut earlier this year when he received sponsor exemptions to play in the Farmers Insurance Open and the Genesis Invitational. He was awarded the Genesis Invitational’s Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption, which represents advancement of diversity in the game of golf.
 
Thompson, a University of Georgia senior, has made three previous PGA TOUR starts, and also qualified to play in the 2020 U.S. Open via his amateur ranking. The Saint Simons Island, Georgia native posted a 2-1-1 record in 2020 while competing for the United States in the Palmer Cup and was named a first-team All-American by PING and the Golf Coaches Association of America.
 
“The Rocket Mortgage Classic has always strived to support golf’s great young talent, and we are pleased to award these opportunities to Willie and Davis,” said Jason Langwell, Executive Director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “Willie has a successful track record on the mini-tour circuit and considers Detroit Golf Club a home course, so will certainly have plenty of local support. Davis has represented the United States at golf’s highest amateur levels and surely will have a bright future in professional golf.”
 
Mack III and Thompson will join reigning Rocket Mortgage Classic champion and 2020 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau in the 2021 tournament field along with fellow major championship winners Jason Day and Bubba Watson, as well as fan favorites Rickie Fowler and Harold Varner III. The tournament will feature 156 players competing for a total purse of $7.5 million and a winner’s prize of $1.35 million.
 
In addition to Mack III and Thompson, one additional sponsor exemption for the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be announced prior to the tournament. A fourth will be granted to the men’s winner of THE JOHN SHIPPEN, a 36-hole stroke-play invitational for Black golfers June 27-28 at Detroit Golf Club.
 
In 2011, Mack III earned his greatest golfing achievement, becoming the first African-American player to win the Michigan Amateur Championship. He enjoyed other amateur victories at the Flint City Amateur and the Genesee All-Star Golf Classic. Mack III began his high school career at Flint Central before transferring to Grand Blanc, where he was an All-State player who helped the Bobcats win 2004 Division I state championship.
 
“As a young man who grew up nearby in Flint, my father and I attended the Buick Open at Warwick Hills to watch Tiger Woods and other players compete at the highest level for many years,” said Mack III, an honorary member of Detroit Golf Club. “Playing in the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be extremely meaningful to me because my father still lives in Michigan and will be able to watch me play on the PGA TOUR now. I am well aware of everything the Rocket Mortgage Classic is doing as part of the event’s Changing the Course initiative. The more I pursue my dream of reaching the PGA TOUR, the more I learn and want to push toward another dream of helping create more equality and diversity in the game I love.”
 Thompson has previously ranked as the world’s top amateur golfer and recently placed third individually at the 2021 SEC Championship representing the University of Georgia as its captain. Over the past two years, he has racked up five amateur wins and 18 top-10 finishes.
 “I am very appreciative of the Rocket Mortgage Classic for extending this sponsor exemption and excited to compete in this event for the first time against a great field,” Thompson said. “As I look to establish myself as a professional and earn status, these types of opportunities will prove invaluable in terms of the experience I will gain. I can’t wait to tee it up in Detroit this July.”
  • Mack III is a Flint, Mich. native and the 2011 Michigan Amateur champion; Thompson is a University of Georgia senior ranked fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
 
  • General admission tickets go on sale May 27 for competition rounds Thursday, July 1–Sunday, July 4 and the Delta Dental Pro-Am at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Wednesday, June 30.
DETROIT (May 19, 2021) – Willie Mack III, a native of Flint, Mich., and Davis Thompson, the fourth ranked amateur golfer in the world, have accepted sponsor exemptions to compete in this year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, which will be played at the historic Detroit Golf Club June 28-July 4.
 
For Mack III, he will realize a lifelong dream when he tees it up this summer in his home state’s PGA TOUR event. He made his PGA TOUR debut earlier this year when he received sponsor exemptions to play in the Farmers Insurance Open and the Genesis Invitational. He was awarded the Genesis Invitational’s Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption, which represents advancement of diversity in the game of golf.
 
Thompson, a University of Georgia senior, has made three previous PGA TOUR starts, and also qualified to play in the 2020 U.S. Open via his amateur ranking. The Saint Simons Island, Georgia native posted a 2-1-1 record in 2020 while competing for the United States in the Palmer Cup and was named a first-team All-American by PING and the Golf Coaches Association of America.
 
“The Rocket Mortgage Classic has always strived to support golf’s great young talent, and we are pleased to award these opportunities to Willie and Davis,” said Jason Langwell, Executive Director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “Willie has a successful track record on the mini-tour circuit and considers Detroit Golf Club a home course, so will certainly have plenty of local support. Davis has represented the United States at golf’s highest amateur levels and surely will have a bright future in professional golf.”
 
Mack III and Thompson will join reigning Rocket Mortgage Classic champion and 2020 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau in the 2021 tournament field along with fellow major championship winners Jason Day and Bubba Watson, as well as fan favorites Rickie Fowler and Harold Varner III. The tournament will feature 156 players competing for a total purse of $7.5 million and a winner’s prize of $1.35 million.
 
In addition to Mack III and Thompson, one additional sponsor exemption for the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be announced prior to the tournament. A fourth will be granted to the men’s winner of THE JOHN SHIPPEN, a 36-hole stroke-play invitational for Black golfers June 27-28 at Detroit Golf Club.
 
In 2011, Mack III earned his greatest golfing achievement, becoming the first African-American player to win the Michigan Amateur Championship. He enjoyed other amateur victories at the Flint City Amateur and the Genesee All-Star Golf Classic. Mack III began his high school career at Flint Central before transferring to Grand Blanc, where he was an All-State player who helped the Bobcats win 2004 Division I state championship.
 
“As a young man who grew up nearby in Flint, my father and I attended the Buick Open at Warwick Hills to watch Tiger Woods and other players compete at the highest level for many years,” said Mack III, an honorary member of Detroit Golf Club. “Playing in the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be extremely meaningful to me because my father still lives in Michigan and will be able to watch me play on the PGA TOUR now. I am well aware of everything the Rocket Mortgage Classic is doing as part of the event’s Changing the Course initiative. The more I pursue my dream of reaching the PGA TOUR, the more I learn and want to push toward another dream of helping create more equality and diversity in the game I love.”
 
Thompson has previously ranked as the world’s top amateur golfer and recently placed third individually at the 2021 SEC Championship representing the University of Georgia as its captain. Over the past two years, he has racked up five amateur wins and 18 top-10 finishes.
 
“I am very appreciative of the Rocket Mortgage Classic for extending this sponsor exemption and excited to compete in this event for the first time against a great field,” Thompson said. “As I look to establish myself as a professional and earn status, these types of opportunities will prove invaluable in terms of the experience I will gain. I can’t wait to tee it up in Detroit this July.”

Rochester Hills' Brad Keselowski claims 6th win at Talladega with overtime pass​

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By John Zenor
Associated Press
 Ala. — Brad Keselowski made exactly the right final move this time, winning again at Talladega Superspeedway and demonstrating a painful lesson well learned.
Keselowski's overtime victory made him the ninth driver to win through 10 NASCAR Cup races this season and avenged an embarrassing Team Penske gaffe in the season-opening Daytona 500. He and teammate Joey Logano triggered a last-lap crash as Keselowski tried to pass Logano for the victory.
“Daytona, that’s a big one. Oh man, it stings still,” Keselowski said. "But this is a good one. We’ll take it. Beggars can’t be choosers. I certainly learned some lessons from that race and I tried to apply them, and it all came together there at the end.
“Michael McDowell gave me a good push like he did at Daytona, and I was a little bit smarter with how I handled it.”
Keselowski led just one lap, the last one, in a race that featured 35 lead changes among 27 drivers.
“The whole race I had a couple opportunities to take the lead, but I just kept thinking, ‘Man, keep your car in one piece,'" Keselowski said.
Logano was involved in an airborne wreck and called on NASCAR to change the dangerous racing conditions at Daytona and Talladega.
“On one hand, I am mad about being in the crash and on the other, I am happy to be alive,” Logano said. “On another hand, I am wondering when we are going to stop because this is dangerous doing what we are doing. I got a roll bar in my head. That is not OK.
"I am one hit away from the same situation Ryan Newman just went through. I just don’t feel like that is acceptable.”
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Your EmailNewman escaped serious injury racing for the win on the final lap of the 2020 Daytona 500.
The victory, Keselowski's sixth at Talladega, came after team owner Roger Penske pulled the three Team Penske drivers and affiliate Matt DiBenedetto onto a call this week to discuss his expectations on how they should race Sunday. Penske refused to accept another Daytona disaster when Logano or Keselowski should have won the race but instead of working together the two triggered a fiery crash that also collected a third Penske car.
All three Penske drivers have now claimed spots in the 16-driver playoff field.
William Byron was second, Daytona 500 winner McDowell — the beneficiary of that February blunder — took third and Kevin Harvick a season-high fourth.
“I felt like I was in a good spot again working with Brad and drug back off of him coming off of Turn 4,” McDowell said. “I thought I would have the run but just didn’t suck him down enough.”
DiBenedetto, who led 28 laps, finished fifth but gave away the win with a late lane change that allowed Keselowski to surge to the front.
Ford drivers took four of the top five spots.
Kaz Grala finished a career-best sixth and was followed by Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon in a trio of Chevrolets.
Ford drivers took spots nine through 13 and the highest finishing Toyota driver was Christopher Bell in 17th.
Keselowski tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon with six wins each at Talladega. But it was his first since the fall race in 2017.
“I would have never dreamed I’d tie Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. here,” Keselowski said. “That’s something. Those guys are really legends.”
By Mark Martin- 
Aaron Lorincz of Center Line won the Metro Detroit USBC (MDUSBC) Men's Series event Sunday with a 257-183 victory over Conner Weber of Wayne at
Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park. Lorincz took home the top prize of $500, while Weber settled for $250. Lorincz qualified third in the field of 58, with a four-game total of 835 on
games of 163, 190, 233 and 249. In match play, he beat Christopher Dunson of Ortonville 196-174, Mark Milasinovich of Shelby Township 217-208 and Ryan 
Land of Royal Oak 184-172 to advance to the championship match.
Weber qualified 13th with 769. In match play, he beat Michael Lucente of Warren 213-192, Mark Meinema of Zeeland 213-203 and top seed Ryan Witucki of Hazel Park 213-189 on his way to the finals.
Ryan Land took over the season long cup list with 485 points, closely followed by Stephen Krywy of Sterling Heights (478) and Michael McCleskey

(443) of Southfield. The next event will be triple points at Century Bowl in 
Waterford on April 11.

After the competition Lorincz defeated Women's Series winner Julia Huren of

Westland 246-204 in the Battle of the Series for $100 "cold cash" and bragging rights. This gives the men a 4-3 advantage over the women in this 
extra competition.
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Martin Truex Jr. pulls off first NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix Raceway

By Holly Cain
​Martin Truex Jr. overcame an early-race brush with the wall and took the lead on the final restart with 25 laps remaining to earn his first victory of 2021 and first in 31 career starts at Phoenix Raceway.
Truex‘s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota ultimately held off Joey Logano‘s No. 22 Penske Racing Ford by a convincing 1.698-seconds for the win in the Instacart 500. The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Truex took the race lead from the outside on a bold restart move — pulling away in the closing laps of a spirited race that featured 22 lead changes.
Truex, 40, of New Jersey, is now the fifth different winner in as many NASCAR Cup Series races this season joining Michael McDowell, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Kyle Larson who have also earned spots in the playoffs.

“Just an awesome job by everybody, (crew chief) James (Small), all the pit crew guys fixing it, just really solid,” said Truex, who now has 28 career wins. “At the beginning of the race I thought we were going to run 15th or so. Man, I just really can‘t believe it. I‘m kind of speechless.
“This feels pretty amazing. Phoenix has been a tough one for us.
“I wish it was November and I was in the final four,” he added with a smile, referring to the season championship finale at Phoenix Raceway later in the year. “Just so thankful and proud of everyone at JGR, everyone who makes this possible.”

Statistically, Logano‘s Ford was the dominant car on the afternoon, leading a race best 143 of the 312 laps and winning Stage 2 — his first stage win of the year. His Penske teammate Ryan Blaney won Stage 1 (also his first stage victory of 2021) and all three Penske Racing cars finished in the top 10. In all, the Penske trio of Logano, Blaney and Keselowski combined to lead 197 laps — out front 63 percent of the day.
Logano started alongside Truex on the front row for the final restart and mounted a challenge for the lead, but he couldn‘t hold off Truex even with a more favorable inside starting position.
“I was surprised he was able to hang with me on that (final) start,” a disappointed Logano conceded of Truex‘s winning move. “He had a good start, too, but I had a good one on the bottom and I thought might have short-cut it on the dogleg and I thought, boy I might have him cleared. Then we went into that corner still door-to-door and when you‘re door-to-door, the outside car has control.
“I‘m pretty sure even if I beat him even on that start he was still going to hound me and probably get by me. They had the best car. We had a good car for sure, but once they tuned it in toward the second stage, it was the best car on the race track.”
RELATED: Joey Logano says second place ‘hurts’
Truex‘s JGR teammate Denny Hamlin was third, followed by Logano‘s teammate Brad Keselowski and last November‘s Phoenix winner Chase Elliott in fifth.
Kevin Harvick, a nine-time Phoenix winner, was sixth, earning his fourth top-10 finish in the season‘s opening five races. Last week‘s Las Vegas winner Kyle Larson was seventh, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron was eighth followed by JGR driver Christopher Bell and Blaney to round out the top 10.
Even without the victory, it was an impressive showing for the three Hendrick Motorsports cars that rallied to top-10 finishes. Elliott, Larson and Byron all had to start from the rear of the field on Sunday. And the fourth Hendrick car, driven by Alex Bowman, was equally resilient with a 13th place finish despite hitting the wall and bringing out an early race caution flag.
RELATED: Early trouble for Alex Bowman at Phoenix
Larson, in particular put on a lesson in resiliency. He rallied to race among the top 10 — even lead a lap — a third of the way into the race but was sent back to the rear of the lead lap cars twice after that because of pit road speeding violations.
Hamlin, Keselowski and Logano — all still looking for their first 2021 wins — are 1-2-3 in the championship standings with Hamlin holding a 39-point edge over Keselowski as the series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for next weekend‘s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Note: The race winning No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. passed NASCAR‘s post-race technical inspection. The No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet (Kurt Busch), the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Kyle Busch) and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (William Byron) all had one lug nut safe and secure, while the No. 2 Team Penske Ford (Brad Keselowski) and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet (Daniel Suarez) had two lug nuts not safe and secure.

Tom Daugherty Wins First Major Title in Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship Defeats Jakob Butturff in the championship match to win $100,000

Tampa, Fla.—No. 1 seed Tom Daugherty rolled a 263 game in the title match to win the Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship for his third career PBA Tour title and first major. In the highest scoring match of the stepladder finals, Daugherty and third seed Jakob Butturff combined to roll 18 strikes, 10 of which belonged to Daugherty on the way to a six-pin margin of victory.
      “To shoot 260 to win a major is just awesome,” said Daugherty, whose most recent title came in the 2016 PBA Wolf Open. “I felt a little snake bitten on TV. I knew I needed to keep getting there to give myself more opportunities. Finally, I broke through with one.”
 The first to finish the match, Daugherty needed two strikes and four pins in the 10th frame to shut out Butturff and clinch victory. His first strike was exactly what he wanted to do. The next one, he admits, required luck as he rolled the 2 pin to strike and, after a nine count on the fill ball, ultimately win.
      “You always want to shut your guy out,” said Daugherty. “Getting the first one was key and I threw the best shot I possibly could. I aced it. I lost control of the second one. I realized it was the moment that would make me a major champion and everything started to speed up. It was my worst shot of the match, but I had the right ball in the right part of the lane and I got lucky.”
     Daugherty’s second strike in the 10th frame was his ninth consecutive strike of the match. Butturff bowled a clean game and rolled the back seven strikes in an effort to win his second major, but fell six pins short.
       Tuesday and Wednesday, Daugherty will compete in match play for the PBA Chameleon Championship and PBA Scorpion Championship, giving him two more opportunities to win at the World Series in his native Tampa.
 “I get to bowl in my hometown in one of my favorite centers,” said Daugherty. “I’m going to try to make the most of it.”
 Guaranteed Rate PBA World Championship Final Standings
AMF University Lanes – Tampa, Fla.
Tom Daugherty, earns $100,000

  1. Jakob Butturff, $50,000
  2. EJ Tackett, $35,000
  3. Chris Via, $25,000
  4. Kyle Troup, $20,000
 Match Scores
Match 1 – No. 4 Via def. No. 5 Troup, 210-201
Match 2 – No. 3 Butturff def. No. 4 Via, 249-227
Match 3 – No. 3 Butturff def. No. 2 Tackett, 210-178
Match 4 – No. 1 Daugherty def. No. 3 Butturff, 263-257
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Francois Lavoie beats three two-handers in PBA takedown at KIA Tournament of Champions​ 

      The PBA Tournament of Champions being held near Miami had all the makings of a star-studded field making the finals, but started off curiously. Sean Rash, one of the top players on Tour today, literally could not find the pocket against Francois Lovoie striking on the Brooklyn side multiple times. Francois also had his struggles stringing strikes together, but his 3 bagger from frames five through seven dusted the wayward Rash.  PBA Hall of Famer and current color commentator Randy Pederson said Rash got ball reaction like his shot had a runny nose. I agree with Pederson as Rash’s hitting power was weak and off the mark. 
It is refreshing watching the classic bowling Lovoie roll like the PBA pros of the past. His ball rotation is supurb although his release is sketchy. Worked against Rash.
Jesper Svensson is one of the great talents on the current PBA Tour and this lefty has the highest rev rate on tour and with a clean left side to work with, this powerful lefty was poised to roll through the field.
     Lavoie found out what Rash tried to avoid in game two. The oil pattern was tricky and either left right handers throwing through the nose or washing out and his opening frame six pin split left him wondering if he could find the mark. His 5th frame late knockout of a pesky nine pin gave him his first double which he extended to five consecutive strikes. Svensson used a tv break to talk to his Storm ball rep and the rep told him to “stop thinking so much and roll the ball.” Well, it worked.
Lavoie, not to be outdone, finished with eight strikes in nine frames while Svensson left a split in the tenth and concluded his day with a 236-201 loss.
Jason Belmonte’s record in PBA majors is unquestioned in today’s PBA. This two-hander has made every top five since 2012 save one (7th in 2017). He has the ability to pound the pocket from anywhere on the lanes and his string of strikes ( a double) in frames three and four opened the match except Belmo could not convert a 3-10 split in frame five and Lavoie saw an open door. His major 1-2-3-6-10 washout left three pins on his spare attempt. But Belmonte could never get it going. He never doubled the rest of the match and Lavoie dug deep.
Anthony Simonsen finished 5th last week and this week did not look much better as he opened in the third with the 8-10 split. Lavoie looked to dust off the field with his third major title. For Simonsen, he played second arrow and it di not work for him. He played a change of the 5th arrow and plenty of loft and it made all the world of difference for him. His 8th frame 3-4-6-8-9-10 count and chop left him a second-place finish. Lavoie beat three two hand bowlers in a row at their own games. When a player can bowl methodical and take out Rash, Belmonte and Simonsen, it shows classic bowlers can still bring it home. His third major title gives him a chance at the super slam after the major season is over and nets him 100k. 
Kia PBA Tournament of Champions Final Standings
Bowlero Jupiter – Jupiter, Fla.
 1. François Lavoie, earns $100,000
2.Anthony Simonsen, $60,000
3.Jason Belmonte, $45,000
4. Jesper Svensson, $40,000
5. Sean Rash, $35,000 Match Scores
Match 1 – No. 5 Lavoie def. No. 4 Rash, 225-209
Match 2 – No. 5 Lavoie def. No. 3 Svensson, 236-201
Match 3 – No. 5 Lavoie def. No. 2 Belmonte, 220-194
Match 4 – No. 5 Lavoie def. No. 1 Simonsen, 233-187

KYLE TROUP WINS PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FOR FIRST CAREER MAJOR TITLE 

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Defeats Dick Allen in the championship match to win $250,000

Jupiter, Fla.--Top seed Kyle Troup bowled a 257 game to win the PBA Players Championship for his first career major title, defeating third seed Dick Allen in the championship match. Troup’s seventh overall PBA Tour title earned him a PBA record-tying $250,000 first-place prize.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Troup. “Hard work pays off. I felt very confident in my ball reaction and the angle I was playing. I didn’t really feel nervous at all. I stayed focused and the pressure and the nerves kind of went away.”
Like Troup, Allen was also seeking his first career major title. Allen defeated Tom Smallwood and François Lavoie to get to the championship match, then took an early lead over Troup.
“I had two misses in the first four frames,” said Troup. “There can be some thoughts going through my head like, oh no, what’s going on here? But I just told myself to keep my mind forward and my eyes forward. Keep working, keep pushing, believe in yourself.”
When Allen left a 10-pin in the seventh frame, giving Troup a one-pin advantage, Troup knew the outcome was in his hands.
“I try not to pay attention to the score and just make the best shot I can make,” said Troup. “But I knew once I had that advantage and I could strike out to win, the only thing I was thinking was you don’t hope to win, you expect to win. I expected Dick Allen to strike out and force me to strike out, so I was expecting to have to throw all of them.”
In the ninth frame, Allen left a 7-10 split, easing the burden on Troup. Troup struck in his half of the ninth, then clinched the title with a strike in the 10th frame.
Troup was the top seed throughout every round of the PBA Players Championship. He led all East Region qualifiers through 28 games of qualifying to earn the top seed in the East Region Finals, in which he defeated Michael Davidson to advance to the PBA Players Championship Finals. Then, he led the three-game, total-pinfall seeding round held last night, rolling a 741 series to clinch a spot in the title match.
“After I won the region, I went home and relaxed for a couple days,” said Troup. “Then it was time to buckle down. Keep competing. Keep practicing. A lot of self-talk and self-belief. I knew I had to go to work to take this next step in my career.”
By earning his seventh career title and first major, Troup also qualifies for the first spot in the PBA Super Slam, which will feature all five 2021 major winners and air April 18 on FOX Broadcast Channel.
PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGSBowlero Jupiter – Jupiter, Fla.
  1. Kyle Troup, earns $250,000
  2. Dick Allen, $130,000
  3. François Lavoie, $80,000
  4. Tom Smallwood, $60,000
  5. Anthony Simonsen, $50,000
MATCH SCORESMatch 1 – No. 4 Smallwood def. No. 5 Simonsen, 278-225
Match 2 – No. 3 Allen def. No. 4 Smallwood, 216-195
Match 3 – No. 3 Allen def. No. 2 Lavoie, 244-227
Match 4 – No. 1 Troup def. No. 3 Allen, 257-212
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GLENN PILON WINS $2,000 FIRST PRIZE IN MDUSBC SENIOR MASTERS AT MAYFLOWER LANES

Glenn Pilon of Trenton beat Larry Walker of Garden City in the finals 447-404 to win the Metro Detroit USBC (MDUSBC) Senior Masters title at Mayflower Lanes in Redford and take home the top prize of $2,000. Walker settled for the runner-up check of $1,000.


Pilon, the 2015 MDUSBC Senior Masters champion, qualified fourth with a six-game total of 1,363 including a high game of 279. He remained in the winner’s bracket with triumphs over Eric Tulley of Brighton 425-398, Gerald Johnson of Taylor 516-342, Richard Wayne of Westland 434-412 and Bo Goergen of Sanford 444-387 as he waited for Walker to emerge from the loser’s bracket. He averaged 226.8 for 16 games of competition.
Walker, the 2009 MDUSBC Senior Masters champion, qualified 15th with 1,298 and a high game of 267. He won his first match over Frank Camilleri of Brownstown 488-468 before falling to Goergen 418-407 to set up a long way back to the final match. In the loser’s bracket he beat Ken Wyatt of Sterling Heights 470-418, defending champion Robert Sloma of Jenison 430-361, top qualifier Gary Duarard Jr of Livonia 383-312, Harold Sullins of Chesterfield 450-368, Jeffrey Austreng of Waterford Township 500-395, Michael Lucente of Warren 452-425 and avenged the earlier loss to Goergen 484-406 to advance to the championship match. He averaged 221.8 for 26 games.
Goergen qualified second with 1,371. He remained in the winner’s bracket with victories over Walker 418-407, John Langston of Plymouth 382-354, Austreng 451-390 before losing to Pilon 444-387. He then lost to Walker 484-406 to end his day. He took home $750 for his third place finish, averaging 213.4
Lucente finished fourth for $500 after qualifying sixth with 1,341. In match play, he won his first match against Stephen Krywy of Sterling Heights 438-430 before falling into the loser’s bracket with a loss to Austreng 436-353. Once in the loser’s bracket he beat Tulley 384-353, Langston 363-306, Wayne 379-369 before losing to Walker 452-425. He averaged 204.6 for 16 games.
Austreng finished fifth for $400 and averaged 214.7. Wayne finished sixth for $400 and averaged 213.3. Sullins ended up seventh for $350, averaging 207.2 and Langston took home $350 for his eighth-place finish, averaging 201.1.
Jeffrey Suma Sr. of Clarkston won the Super Senior competition for non-qualifiers 60 years of age and older. He defeated Larry Wilson of Detroit 253-187 for the title. Suma won $200 for his efforts and Wilson walked away with a check for $175.
Defending champion Robert Sloma finished 14th, cashing for $275 and averaging 211.7.
The entire field averaged 196.3 in qualifying with the top 24 averaging 219.4. The match play average was 203.

DICK ALLEN AVERAGES 270 TO WIN SOUTH REGION AND ADVANCE TO PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

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​The #5 seed won all four matches to earn the last berth in the PBA Players Championship Finals

Jupiter, Fla.--Fifth seed Dick Allen climbed the stepladder and defeated #1 seed Jesper Svensson in the final match to win the South Region Finals. With four victories and a 270 average, Allen became the first and only player to advance to the PBA Players Championship Finals from anywhere other than the top seed.
While Allen averaged 270, his opponents averaged 258. Every match led to Allen needing a clutch performance in the 10th frame to secure victory.
“This is what we’re out here to do,” said Allen of bowling under pressure. “This is why we play the game. You have to control the heart rate, the blood rushing through the veins, the emotions. You get the job done and then you can celebrate. To be able to do that on this stage just feels good.”
With a strike and spare to finish the opening match, Allen defeated Tom Daugherty, who started his game with the front eight, by a single pin. Allen then doubled in the 10th to get past Ryan Ciminelli by five pins. Needing a strike and six pins to win the semifinal match against Cristian Azcona, Allen rolled all three strikes for the win. In the final match, Allen needed to fill 17 pins in the 10th to defeat Jesper Svensson, then filled 28 to win the South Region.
“I knew the lanes were going to be high-scoring,” said Allen. “I just did whatever I could. As the middle started to hook and the back ends started to hook some more, my point of origin stayed the same but the destination down lane changed. I tried to keep moving my eyes left, keep my speed up and stay aggressive.”
Allen, who owns seven PBA Tour titles and will be looking to win his first major, joins Anthony Simonsen (West), François Lavoie (Southwest), Tom Smallwood (Central) and Kyle Troup (East) in next week’s PBA Players Championship Finals, when the five players will compete for a top prize of $250,000.
“I’m going to try to stay in every match and hope I get a chance to step up in the 10th and do what I like to do,” said Allen.
The PBA Players Championship Finals will air live on FOX Broadcast Channel Feb. 21.
SOUTH REGION STEPLADDER FINALS RESULTSBowlero Jupiter – Jupiter, Fla.
  1. Dick Allen, advances to PBA Players Championship Finals
  2. Jesper Svensson, earns $15,000
  3. Cristian Azcona, $13,000
  4. Ryan Ciminelli, $11,000
  5. Tom Daugherty, $10,000
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KYLE TROUP ADVANCES TO PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS, CHRIS VIA BOWLS 300
FEBRUARY 7, 2021 JEF GOODGER

​Jupiter, Fla.--Kyle Troup continued the trend of the top seeds winning each region, defeating Michael Davidson to win the East Region and move into the PBA Players Championship Finals. In the opening match on the telecast, Chris Via rolled the 30th televised perfect game in the history of PBA title events.
“This was the next step in winning my first major,” said Troup, a six-time PBA Tour champion. “My goal was to get to Jupiter, then come here and conquer this tournament. I did so. Now I’m going to go home and work even harder. It doesn’t stop here.”
Following an errant shot in the first frame that Troup blamed on a mental lapse, he rattled off the next seven strikes to build a commanding lead over Davidson, who was making his first TV finals appearance.
“After that first frame, I did a lot of self-talking,” said Troup. “Telling myself to stay in it, stay present, don’t worry about (Davidson’s) ball reaction. He had a little bit of room, but I wanted to stay focused on myself and the shots I was making.”
Davidson, the third seed, defeated Via and Brandon Novak to earn his way into the final match.
Seeded fourth, Via achieved perfection against Tim Foy Jr., who was making his TV finals debut. Foy qualified sixth but stepped in as the alternate when Bill O’Neill withdrew himself per COVID-19 protocol.
In the next match, Via rolled the first five strikes against Davidson before leaving a 4 pin in the sixth frame. Via’s 17 strikes in a row fell one short of the PBA record for most consecutive strikes on a PBA telecast; Pete Weber rolled 18 in a row in 2001 and Ryan Shafer tied the mark in 2007. Via earned an additional $10,000 for the 300 game.
Troup is the fourth player to advance to the PBA Players Championship Finals—joining Anthony Simonsen (West), François Lavoie (Southwest) and Tom Smallwood (Central)—and the first of the four who hasn’t won a major title. Simonsen, Lavoie and Smallwood each own two major championships.
“It feels good that my hard work has paid off, but it’s going to take every bit of physical and mental ability to beat the guys on the show,” said Troup. “Self-belief goes a long way and I believe that I can win.”
Troup, Simonsen, Lavoie and Smallwood will be joined by next week’s winner of the South Region to compete in the PBA Players Championship Finals for a major championship title and a top prize of $250,000.
The PBA Players Championship Finals will air live on FOX Broadcast Channel Feb. 21.

Cooper Webb Grabs Thrilling 450SX Class Win in Texas
Colt Nichols Nabs 250SX Class Win

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Houston, Texas, (January 23, 2021) Round three of the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, finished its triple-header inside NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas and delivered the third winner in as many rounds. Red Bull KTM's Cooper Webb made a last lap pass to capture the 450SX Class win in front of 9,115 limited-attendance, pod-style seated, enthusiastic fans. Team Honda HRC's Ken Roczen was on Webb's rear tire at the end for second and Monster Energy Kawasaki's Adam Cianciarulo brought home his first podium in 2021. The Eastern Regional 250SX Class also delivered its third winner in three rounds when Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha's Colt Nichols fought past his teammate to grab his first win in two years. The event kicked off the sport's fourth year of partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with a new 'text to donate' campaign.  
Cooper Webb took his first win of 2021 with a thrilling last lap pass. It marked KTM's 50th Monster Energy Supercross Main Event win. Photo Credit: Feld Entertainment, Inc.  

Webb led at the 450SX Class Main Event holeshot line but Team Honda HRC's Ken Roczen hung close then moved past him two minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race. Adam Cianciarulo settled into third with season-opener winner Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull / GASGAS Factory Racing's Justin Barcia close behind. Defending champ Monster Energy Kawasaki's Eli Tomac was off to a mid-pack start and moved up through the field steadily.

Barcia was the fastest rider on the track, but a crash in the sand section after the midpoint of the race ended his chances of a podium finish. Roczen pulled, what appeared as, a comfortable lead of over three seconds late in the race, but Webb started his charge and moved his KTM up to the Honda rider's rear wheel in the closing laps. Webb benefitted when a lapper flustered Roczen on the final lap; Webb took advantage and tucked inside a 180-degree corner, cut across the ruts, and sealed his spot in the lead. 

The win was the twelfth for Cooper Webb and the 50th Monster Energy Supercross Main Event win for KTM; an impressive milestone with their first win coming in 2012. The second place finish pushed Ken Roczen into the points lead, only one point ahead of both Webb and Barcia.

Detroit Lions News: 3 Holiday wishes heading into 2021

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by Bob Heyrman of Fan Side Daily
​The year 2020 has been taxing in general, to say the least, but for the Detroit Lions, it’s been yet another lost year. It’s been another underwhelming season for the organization, marking the third in a row.  These past three seasons have a couple of things in common: Matthew Stafford at quarterback and Matt Patricia as the head coach.
With the franchise ridding themselves of a toxic Patricia, Stafford’s future in Detroit remains in limbo.
As we head through the holiday season, here are three wishes surrounding the Detroit Lions.
Hiring a proven general manager.Detroit Lions primary owner Sheila Ford Hamp mentioned the organization would prefer their next general manager to have experience in the role.  That being said, the Detroit Lions have interviewed candidates both internally and externally, headlined by ESPN analyst Louis Riddick without any previous managerial experience.
Before hiring former Lions linebacker Chris Spielman to an advisory role, he’d been asked if he would have any interest in interviewing for the vacant general manager’s position.  Yet, another potential candidate without any managerial experience, Spielman opted to decline, saying he’d be better suited in an advisory role for the time being but would be willing to learn and groomed for a potential opportunity down the road, whether it’s in Detroit or elsewhere.  Spielman’s brother Rick has been the Minnesota Vikings general manager from 2012 to the present day.
Ford Hamp and team president Rod Wood said they’d be doing an extensive search that could last upwards of six weeks exhausting all options before making a hire.  They’ve stood true to their word on this front.
Over the last few days, the Detroit Lions started to interview managerial candidates with experience, including Rick Smith, Thomas Dimitroff, and Scott Pioli.
It seems at this time, Dimitroff is the early favorite. The former Atlanta Falcons boss did assemble a Super Bowl-bound Atlanta roster that would fall hard in historic fashion to the New England Patriots after leading 28-3 at the half in 2017.  That epic collapse is not on the GM, but ultimately on head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
While Shanahan led the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season only to find himself again on the wrong side of the result despite leading in the fourth quarter, both Quinn and Dimitroff were let-go after a lackluster 0-5 start to the 2020 season.
I’ve stated in the past that Rick Smith would be a tremendous hire after knowing his rich early-round draft history during his Houston Texans days.  Smith landed J.J. Watt, DeShaun Watson, Jadeveon Clowney, and DeAndre Hopkins.
Pioli spent four years as the Kansas City Cheifs GM, but his track record is less than impressive.  The former KC GM will be most remembered for turning the keys over to Matt Cassel on offense and Todd Haley as the team’s head coach.  Both didn’t work out so well.  Pioli did draft star safety Eric Berry though.
2. A ‘players’ head coach.The Detroit Lions need to try and right the ship in a big way.  The franchise hired a drill sergeant in Matt Patricia after dismissing a players-type coach in Jim Caldwell.  Caldwell had been released after producing back-to-back 9-7 seasons in favor of the New England cast away.
Maybe Caldwell would not have been able to lead the Detroit Lions to the promised land, but he was a head coach players’ would go to war for, something that can’t be said about Patricia.  Not only did Patricia’s toxic energy and attitude destroy the Lions’ locker room, it clearly stunt-the-growth of the entire organization.
The Detroit Lions need to build a new culture, and it starts from the top.  Detroit will have an opportunity to land one of the leagues’ top assistants, and first on the list should be Dearborn’s own Robert Saleh.
Saleh is becoming a defensive genius.  He’s somehow maintained a top-ten defense despite not having the 49ers’ top players at his disposal, including one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL in Nick Bosa.
In San Francisco’s Super Bowl run last season, with Bosa, DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Dee Ford, Solomon Thomas, all healthy, Saleh let his front four generate pressure without blitzing.  The 49ers created the leagues’ most pressure, rarely blitzing.
During the 2020 season, it’s been the opposite; Saleh has been forced to call a defense minus everyone mentioned above at various times understanding Buckner had been traded this past offseason.  The others have all missed significant time this season, along with Tartt and Sherman, forcing Saleh to blitz nearly 35% of the time, which ranks near the top in the league to generate pressure, all the while maintaining an NFL top-ten defense.
The often energetic Saleh would be a great hire for the Detroit Lions.  Other options to follow are Cheifs OC, Eric Bieniemy, and Panthers OC Joe Brady.
3. A clear-cut decision regarding Matthew Stafford.As the Detroit Lions near yet another regime change, quarterback Matthew Stafford’s future remains in limbo.
Will the next Lions general manager, head coach decide to retain the soon to be 33-year old quarterback or decide to go in a different direction hoping to build around a rookie quarterback?  There are certainly benefits from drafting a young quarterback on a rookie salary.
There are plenty of examples throughout the league—the most obvious being Patrick Mahomes.  After sitting one season behind Alex Smith, the Chiefs took off with Mahomes under center. Being on a rookie deal allowed the organization to surround their young quarterback with a plethora of weapons.
Sure, Mahomes’ record-breaking contract extension kicks in after this season, forcing the team to cut corners elsewhere.
Another example is Kyler Murray in Arizona.  The Cardinals drafted the talented dual-threat quarterback first overall, and he’s stepped right in and excelled in his second season at the helm.  Having Murray on a rookie deal allowed the organization to fleece the Houston Texans in acquiring the leagues’ best receiver in DeAndre Hopkins.
It always can go South; look no further than the Washington Football Team and Dwayne Haskins.  That is what makes moving on from the franchise’s all-time top quarterback so difficult.
There are benefits from deciding to move on from Stafford when it comes to the salary cap.  I am a fan of Stafford, and I also feel the organization owes it to him if he felt like he wanted to move on to a contender seeking a quarterback like Indianapolis, or perhaps the San Francisco 49ers.

NWHL 2021 Season to Feature an All-Female USA Hockey Officiating Staff
Effort is a milestone for pro hockey

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the help and guidance from USA Hockey, the NWHL’s upcoming season will have an all-female officiating staff. The league’s regular-season contests as well as the 2021 Isobel Cup Playoffs will be staged at the iconic Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y., from Jan. 23–Feb. 5, 2021.
The 10 officials selected to the NWHL officiating staff include Sarah Buckner (Crystal, Minn.), Erika Greenen (Romeoville, Ill.), Kendall Hanley (Minneapolis, Minn.), Alicia Hanrahan (St. Paul, Minn.), Jacqueline Howard (Gaithersburg, Md.), Jamie Huntley-Park (Escondido, Cali.), Jackie Spresser (Thornton, Colo.), Amanda Tassoni (Bradford, R.I.), Mackenzie Welter (Rome, N.Y.), and Laura White (Runnemede, N.J.).
“We’re appreciative of the partnership that has been formed with the NWHL in an effort to promote and develop our female officials,” said Matt Leaf, director of USA Hockey’s officiating education program. “The officials that have been selected are highly skilled, motivated and team-oriented officials who are up for the challenges that will be critical to the success of the NWHL season.
“They are the brightest and best of our current and future top-level female officials who bring a balance of experience, versatility, loyalty and an unmatched skill and a passion to be the best they can be each time they step on the ice.”
The participation of this officiating crew in the NWHL’s season is a milestone for pro hockey. While the league has had all-female officiating crews work games before, there has never been an all-female officiating initiative of this scale.
“I am thrilled with the officiating staff that we have assembled for the NWHL’s sixth season,” said Michelle Picard, deputy commissioner of the NWHL, who has previously played on U.S. Olympic and Women’s National Teams. “In working with Matt Leaf and USA Hockey, we've identified 10 of the most highly qualified officials from across the country. We are looking forward to having this group's expertise, enthusiasm, and professionalism in Lake Placid.”
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​Timing on Jones announcement stings, but a new opportunity might be best

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​CHICAGO, Ill. – Big Ten Champions Week on Big Ten Network kicks off tomorrow and features four games, including two rivalry matchups, three days of All-Big Ten award announcements and three hours of coverage on Wednesday as football’s early signing period commences.
 
Between noon and 12:15 p.m. ET Tuesday through Thursday via the Big Ten Network’s Twitter account, the 2020 All-Big Ten team and individual awards will be unveiled. The accolades will also available on Big Ten Network’s Facebook and Instagram channels as well as a press release from the Big Ten Conference.

  • Tuesday (12/15): All-Big Ten Offensive selections and individual awards will be announced, including the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year, Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year, Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year, Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year and Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year. The Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year will be announced on either Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the position of the honoree.
  •  Wednesday (12/16): All-Big Ten Defensive selections and individual awards will be announced, including the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year, Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year and Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year.  
  • Thursday (12/17): All-Big Ten Special Teams, Head Coach selections and individual awards will be announced, including the Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year, Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year, Rodgers-along with the Dwight Return Specialist of the Year, Hayes-Schembechler (coaches vote) Coach of the Year and Dave McClain (media vote) Coach of the Year. The Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award, Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award and Sportsmanship Honorees will also be unveiled on Thursday.
 
On Wednesday, the Big Ten Network will host three hours of live recruiting coverage with B1G Live: Signing Day Special from 2 p.m. ET to 5 p.m. ET. Mike Hall, Gerry DiNardo, Howard Griffith and Allen Trieu, Midwest Football Recruiting Analyst for 247 Sports, will examine the incoming classes at all 14 Big Ten schools in addition to interviews with Tom Allen, Jeff Brohm, Paul Chryst, P.J. Fleck, Scott Frost, Michael Locksley, Mel Tucker, Greg Schiano and more.

According to 247Sports composite team rankings, the Big Ten currently has seven of the top 25 recruiting classes in the country, led by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 9 Michigan, No. 16 Wisconsin, No. 20 Penn State, No. 21 Iowa, No. 22 Nebraska and No. 25 Maryland.

The week concludes with four games on Big Ten Network, including battles for Paul Bunyan’s Axe and the Old Oaken Bucket. On Friday, Nebraska visits Rutgers at 4 p.m. ET, followed by in-state rivals Purdue and Indiana kicking off at 7:30 p.m. ET. Saturday morning begins with a second rivalry game as Minnesota visits Wisconsin at 4 p.m. ET, before Michigan State takes on Maryland at 7:30 p.m. ET.
 
Also on Saturday, the 2020 Big Ten Football Championship Game presented by Discover headlines FOX College Football’s Big Noon Kickoff. In a rematch from 2018’s conference championship game, Ohio State will take on Northwestern at Noon ET in Lucas Oil Stadium.
 

JULIA HUREN WINS MDUSBC QUEENS AT THUNDERBOWL

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Julia Huren of Westland defeated Robin Orlikowski of Grand Rapids 225-192 in the final match to win the MDUSBC Queens at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park.

Huren had lost to Orlikowski 219-205 to force a final and deciding match. Huren won the title and $1,000, while Orlikowski settled for $500.

Huren qualified second with a six-game total of 1,376 on games of 189, 236, 279, 248, 190 and 234. In match play she beat Sheri Verespej of Newport226-201, Lauren Krywy of Sterling Heights 233-180 and Orlikowski the first time 248-236. She then had to wait for a challenger to emerge from the loser's bracket in the double-elimination format. She averaged 228.5 for 11 
games of competition.

Orlikowski, the 2017 MDUSBC Queens champion, qualified fourth with 1,332 with a high game of 244. In match play she beat Nicole Harrison of Clinton Township 225-220, top qualifier Brandie Reamy of Livonia 234-204, before falling to Huren the first time 248-236. In the loser's bracket she beat

Harrison the second time 259-234 to advance to the championship match. She averaged 224.7 for 12 games.

Harrison finished third for $300 and Verespej fourth for $200.
Reamy shot 300 in her first match win over Madalyn Klein of Whitmore Lake and settled for $175.

The entire 30 person qualifying field averaged 201.3.

LATE TD PASS, KEY DEFENSIVE PLAYS HELP TOLEDO DEFEAT CENTRAL MICHIGAN, 24-23, IN SEASON FINALE

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TOLEDO, Ohio - Sophomore quarterback Carter Bradley threaded the CMU defense to hit redshirt freshman wide receiver Jerjuan Newton for a game-winning 28-yard TD pass to give Toledo a 24-23 victory over Central Michigan at the Glass Bowl on Saturday.
Despite trailing for much of the second half, the Rockets saved their best for last in the season finale. Bradley's clutch TD toss with 1:31 to go put his team up by one, then junior defensive end Terrance Taylor stopped the Chippewas' final drive with a strip sack on their final offensive drive. Junior running back Bryant Koback then ran for a first down on third-and-17 to clinch the victory.
"Really happy for our football team and the way they were able to persevere down the stretch," head coach Jason Candle said. "I'm really proud of our guys. I'm happy to get a win today against a good football team on a windy day. Our guys really answered the bell today, even if it wasn't pretty at times."

Toledo (4-2, 4-2 MAC) was able to overcome a Central Michigan (3-3, 3-3 MAC) defense that forced four UT turnovers and recorded six sacks on the afternoon. The victory clinched a share of second place in the MAC West Division with Western Michigan.

Bradley completed 18-of-33 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns. Koback added 123 yards on the ground, the seventh 100-yard performance of his career and second of the season. He also led the team with five receptions for 44 yards and a TD, while Newton and junior wide receiver Isaiah Winstead both caught touchdowns as well. On the defensive side, junior linebacker Dyontae Johnson led the team with 10 tackles and junior defensive end Desjuan Johnson added eight stops with 2.5 tackles for loss.

First Quarter 
Central Michigan opened the contest with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Kobe Lewis to Kalil Pimpleton. Lewis lined up in the wildcat and faked a run before fading back and hitting Pimpleton in the end zone. Toledo tied it up on a 15-yard TD reception by Bryant Koback from Carter Bradley that capped a 45-yard drive. Later in the quarter, Thomas Cluckey converted a 24-yard field goal to give Toledo a 10-7 lead.
Second Quarter 
CMU tied the contest at 10-10 on a 23-yard field goal by Marshall Meeder early in the quarter. The score remained deadlocked until Bradley hit Isaiah Winstead for a 13-yard TD completion with 27 seconds left in the half.
Third Quarter 
The Chippewas tied the score on their first play from scrimmage in the second half, a 68-yard TD run by Lew Nichols. Later in the quarter, CMU took a 20-17 lead on a career-long, wind-aided 53-yard field goal by Meeder. Following an interception, Meeder connected again, this time from 47 yards to push the CMU lead to 23-17.

Fourth Quarter
The Rocket defense held Central Michigan in check long enough to put together an 11-play, 83-yard scoring drive to take a 24-23 lead. Facing a third-and-22, Bradley perfectly placed a 28-yard TD pass into the hands of Jerjuan Newton to put Toledo ahead with 1:33 to play. On the ensuing CMU drive, Terrance Taylor's strip sack of quarterback Ty Brock gave Toledo the ball back with just over a minute to play. The Rockets were able to run out the final 71 seconds to put away the Chippewas. Bryant Koback sealed the win with a 27-yard run on third-and-17 in the waning seconds.

​Lions hot prospect coach is local

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The Detroit Lions should bring home Robert Saleh to be their next head coach.by Bob Heyrman- Detroit Jock City
It’s a Detroit Lions franchise that is desperately seeking a new identity.  What better way for Shelia Ford Hamp and Rod Wood to hit the reset button by bringing in a highly motivated, eager, highly regarded defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh to be the teams’ next head coach.
Over the last year, I’ve lobbied for the organization to hire an offensive-minded head coach after the disaster we’ve seen from Matt Patricia.  I’ve shifted my thought process watching how well the San Francisco 49ers defense has performed in 2020, considering all of the pieces they’ve been forced to play without.  Oh, and it doesn’t hurt knowing Saleh is a hometown guy, having grown up in Dearborn, Michigan.
The 41-year old DC started his coaching career as an assistant with Michigan State, then moving on to Central Michigan and Georgia before heading to the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks.  After cutting his teeth as an assistant in various capacities, Saleh finally received an opportunity to be a lead positional coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching the linebackers.  That success landed him a DC job with the 49ers, coaching on Kyle Shanahan’s staff.
After enjoying tremendous success, Saleh interviewed last season for the Cleveland Browns job as the 49ers were heading to another Super Bowl appearance, but the job eventually went to Kevin Stefanski, who previously called the Minnesota Vikings offense.
The 49ers have struggled in 2020 to gear up for another title run, mostly due to a plethora of injuries scattered throughout their roster.  The 49ers have not only been playing without their starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on offense, but they’ve also been forced to start their fourth and fifth running backs and wide receivers multiple times.
On the defensive side of the ball, Saleh’s been required to operate without super-star defensive end Nick Bosa, plus Richard Sherman, Arik Armstead, Dee Ford, Ronald Blair, Solomon Thomas, Jaquiski Tartt, and Ziggy Ansah.
Oh, and don’t forget the 49ers opted to trade away one of the league’s top interior defenders in DeForest Buckner this past offseason knowing they’d be tight against the salary cap.
With all that said, the 49ers are still producing a top-five defense in 2020 (Before Monday night’s game).  The 49ers rank 10th defending the run plus ranking fourth against the pass.
A lot of this success is due to Saleh’s ability to scheme an efficient game plan with the resources he’s been given week after week.
During the 2019 season with a healthy group, the 49ers had been able to generate pressure without blitzing.  Buckner, Bosa, and company had the ability to make things happen with their raw talent allowing the 49ers to drop into coverage.
Per Pro Football Reference, in 2019, the 49ers defense created the most pressure, 14.7% blitzing the fourth-least, 20.9% of the time.  For the record, in the same season, the Detroit Lions blitzed the third-fewest times, just 18% of the teams’ defensive snaps, creating pressure just 8% of the time, ninth-worst across the league.
Fast forward to 2020.
The 49ers are blitzing a whopping 33.2% of the time, the tenth MOST in the NFL, creating the third MOST pressure at 11.6% of the time.  Think about that for a second, knowing they’ve been operating as a top-five overall defense with all of the players they have missing.
Robert Saleh has done a tremendous job changing his overall philosophy, adapting to the players at his disposal.  He’s exactly what the Detroit Lions need to turn their atrocious defense around.  If he opted to retain Darrell Bevell for another year to be his offensive coordinator while he focuses on repairing the defense; I’d be all for it.

2020 PBA TOUR PLAYER AWARDS FINALIST NOMINEES SELECTED

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 By- DDZIOMBA -PBA Tour.com
Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year, Steve Nagy Sportsmanship and Tony Reyes PBA Community Service Honors to be Announced on Dec. 18New York, NY – In what was one of the most challenging and unprecedented years in the history of the PBA, the Tour’s brightest stars showed up to compete on and off the lanes.
For 2020, these stars will be honored in three categories – Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year, Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award, and the Tony Reyes Community Service Award.
Player of the Year honors will award the Tour’s top player, the Nagy Sportsmanship Award will be given out to the player who has shown exemplary sportsmanship, and the Reyes Award will recognize a PBA member who has done extraordinary community service and/or charitable contributions in the calendar year.
There will be no Harry Golden Rookie of the Year for 2020 due to the complications created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rookie players will be eligible for the award in 2021.
Player of the Year nominees consist of the top eight earners in the 2020 season. Candidates in alphabetical order: are, Australia’s Jason Belmonte; Bill O’Neill of Langhorne, Pa.; Kris Prather of Plainfield, Ill.; Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill.; Mo.; Anthony Simonsen of Little Elm, Texas, Sweden’s Jesper Svensson, EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Ind., and Kyle Troup of Taylorsville, N.C.
The PBA Player of the Year will be selected by a panel of veteran bowling writers and the entire PBA membership. The Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner is selected by PBA Tour players who have bowled in at least half of the current season’s tournaments. The Reyes Award recipient is selected by a special panel of PBA leaders.
The annual awards will be announced by PBA CEO Colie Edison and PBA Commissioner Tom Clark during a special presentation awards show on Dec. 18. More details to be announced at a later date.
Last year’s winners of the PBA’s four prestigious awards were Jason Belmonte, Player of the Year; Mykel Holliman, Rookie of the Year; Martin Larsen, Nagy Sportsmanship Award, and Chuck Gardner, Tony Reyes Community Service Award.

FINAL: Ohio State cruises to a 52-12 victory over Michigan State

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Elijah McKown- The State News
Fresh off a huge win over Big Ten West leader Northwestern, Michigan State looked like a team with hope. As Ohio State came into East Lansing shorthanded with four starters, and 23 total players, some thought the Spartans could have a chance.
That couldn’t be further from the truth as Justin Fields and the Ohio State Buckeyes thrashed Michigan State, 52-12 Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium.
Fields, OSU's all-important quarterback, got things going early for the Buckeyes on their first drive after holding Michigan State for a three and out to begin the game. Right after Michael Fletcher was tabbed with a roughing the passer penalty on third down, Fields and his running back Master Teague torched the Michigan State defense on the ground as Fields finished the drive by escaping five Michigan State defenders for a walk-in touchdown.
The Michigan State offense was dismal the entire first half as they finished with just 80 total yards in the first half. The Spartan offense began that poor display on offense in the first half with four consecutive three and outs. 
The Buckeyes took advantage of the Spartans’ struggles going up 28-0 at the end of the first half on the back of Fields’ legs.
With two minutes left to go in the first quarter, Fields began the drive by scrambling outside of the pocket and turning up field for a 44 yard gain to the Michigan State 28. On the next set of downs Fields would find Garrett Wilson for a 28 yard touchdown pass to cap off a 72 yard, 41 second drive.
Self enforced errors and penalties were killers for Michigan State. Following Ohio State’s quick striking drive, Michigan State again went three and out and gave the ball back to Ohio State. Michigan State then committed a holding penalty as Ohio State was facing third and five to keep the chains moving.
As Ohio State drove inside Michigan State’s 10, the Spartans looked to have a big sack coming out of a timeout, only to have 12 players on the field. Fields would cap off the drive with his second touchdown run of the game.
Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi struggled in the first half as the run game looked flat and miscommunication on routes hampered the passing attack. Backed up into his own endzone, the Ohio State defense was able to deflect his pass and come up with an interception to add to the already bleak game.
Lombardi would later leave the game with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. Redshirt quarterback Payton Thorne stepped in to replace Lombardi for the remainder of the game.
Michigan State would get their first drive of substance in the game before the end of the half as Thorne was able to provide a spark to the MSU offense through the air. Driving inside Ohio State territory for the first time, Thorne couldn’t break the seal for the Spartans as he was stripped for a fumble to end the first half.
On the Spartans next drive Thorne would continue to look efficient in the beginning of the second half. On their first second half drive, Thorne drove the Spartans back into Ohio State territory but came up short as the Spartans questionably chose to punt.
The Buckeyes continued to flex their muscles as graduate transfer running back Trey Sermon flashed past the Spartan defense for a 64 yard touchdown run.​

WES MALOTT WINS FOR THE PORTLAND LUMBERJACKS IN THE FIRST-EVER PBA LEAGUE ALL STAR CLASH

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​New York, NY — 2020 will go down as the year most of us will want to forget, but it’s certainly been very memorable for Wes Malott and the Portland Lumberjacks!
Malott emerged as the first-ever PBA League All Star Clash Champion taking down Hall of Famer and longtime doubles partner, Dallas Strikers’ Norm Duke in the final round of unpredictable and always exciting sudden-death style special event at Bowlero Centreville.
“In this type of format, it can really go anyway, said Malott. “To know that I have these guys (referring to his Lumberjack teammates) supporting me on the sidelines in this particular environment. I wouldn’t want it any other way. This win is for all of us!”
The Lumberjacks, who won back-to-back PBA League Elias Cup championships just two months ago in the same building have built a franchise winning team with strong chemistry and trust in the two-time PBA League MVP Malott.
“This is the franchise player,” said Lumberjacks teammate Kyle Troup about Malott in the first round of competition. “We know he has ten back every shot and he’s chopping down the competition one shot at a time.”
The Lumberjacks support for Malott never faltered throughout the competition.
“Wes is sharp, he has good ball reaction and a lot of confidence,” added Troup about Malott’s game in the tenth round with three players remaining.
Troup was right as Malott outlasted eleven PBA and PWBA Tour professionals to capture the $50,000 first-place prize for his team.
It was not all smooth sailing for Malott, who had a lucky break in round five getting a late strike. All players struck in the round, forcing a roll-off between the remaining eight competitors. Malott easily struck in his next shot to continue his champion run.
Stealing the show for the first ten rounds of the competition was Danielle McEwan of the Miami Waves, one of two PWBA Tour players who brought her A-game to compete against the best in the world.
McEwan, who competed in the PBA Summer Clash in June, used the experience to her advantage, plus the anchor position in the event’s format to knock out Philadelphia Hitmen’s Dom Barrett in round one, Silver Lake Atom Splitters’ Chris Barnes in round three, Phoenix Fury’s Liz Johnson in round four, L.A. X’s Jason Belmonte in round six, NYC KingPins’ Pete Weber in round seven, and Las Vegas High Rollers’ Francois Lavoie in round eight. Remaining players were eliminated in roll-off ties. The 12 All Star players were selected to represent their teams by having the highest number of PBA or PWBA titles on each team, with an impressive combined total of 248 Tour titles.
202 PBA League All Star Clash Results
  1. Wes Malott, Portland Lumberjacks
  2. Norm Duke, Dallas Strikers
  3. Danielle McEwan, Miami Waves
  4. EJ Tackett, Motown Muscle
  5. Francois Lavoie, Las Vegas High Rollers
  6. Pete Weber, NYC KingPins
  7. Jason Belmonte, L.A. X
  8. Walter Ray Williams Jr., Brooklyn Styles
  9. Liz Johnson, Phoenix Fury
  10. Chris Barnes, Silver Lake Atom Splitters
  11. Sean Rash, Brew City Ballers
  12. Dom Barrett, Philadelphia Hitmen

Physicality and turnovers: How MSU upset Northwestern in East Lansing

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By Joe Dandron   Mel Tucker closed his eyes at practice leading up to MSU’s game against Northwestern.
He heard the physicality in a way he hadn’t before.
“In our team run periods when we had the pads on, they started to sound, the practices started to sound like they are supposed to sound,” Tucker said when asked about the practices leading up to Saturday's game. “The physicality, you could close your eyes and actually hear a physical football team on both sides of the ball. When you start to get that feel, you start to get that physicality, it's something that players look forward to.”
The physicality he heard in practice came through in the game Saturday as MSU upset undefeated Northwestern at Spartan Stadium. 
It manifested itself in forcing four turnovers and gaining 195 rushing yards on 47 attempts. All those numbers are season highs for MSU.
“In some of our previous games we felt like we were very close in the run game,” Tucker said. “From an offensive line standpoint, tight ends blocking, runners hitting the hole and just understanding where the power of the play is and where the runs need to hit. We had some plays we were able to show our guys (and say), ‘If we do it right, we’re efficient in the run game’, and we were able to build on those.”
Tucker has preached that physicality all season. It was missing as MSU lost 49-7 to Iowa on the road and 24-0 to Indiana at home. But on Saturday, Tucker finally got through to his team in a 29-20 victory over one of the best teams in the Big Ten and FBS. 
MSU had four turnovers, the final one for a touchdown with zeroes on the clock to capitalize the upset as Kalon Gervin rolled onto the football in the endzone.
Connor Heyward had 96 rushing yards, and quarterback Rocky Lombardi had 65 of his own. The Spartans imposed their will despite only averaging 73.8 rushing yards a game coming into Saturday’s game.
“I think over the last two weeks we really got better and improved in the run game,” Heyward said after the game. “ We really worked on our craft these past two weeks, having that week off we didn’t take any days off. We went to work everyday whether that was just film or a lift.”
A defense that gave up 49 points to Iowa, only allowed 20 to Northwestern. MSU gave up just 63 total rushing yards in the game on 1.7 yards a carry.
Northwestern, a team that has prided itself on physical dominance all season, met its match in its first loss all year.

DREW ROSI CARRIES ON ROCKET FAMILY LEGACY

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Senior tight end Drew Rosi will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in finance on Sunday, Dec. 6
By: Chris Cullum Toledo
Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
When senior tight end Drew Rosi put on his Toledo jersey as a freshman in 2017, he wasn't the first in his family to do so. Nor would he be the last.
Drew's father, Steve Rosi, played tight end for the Rockets from 1992-95, earning first-team All-MAC and honorable mention All-America honors as a senior in 1995. So when Drew had his first meeting position meeting with the other tight ends his freshman year, some of his teammates began to connect the dots.
"It took about a day or two," Drew said. "There's a big picture of my dad with his name, it didn't take long for them to put it together."
Now in his fourth season, Drew has also left his mark on the Rocket football program. He played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2017, helping Toledo win a MAC Championship. He set career highs last year with 18 catches for 238 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winning TD reception in an overtime win against Eastern Michigan.
Drew has also been an exemplary student since arriving at Toledo. He is a two-time Academic All-MAC honoree and he will graduate this semester with a bachelor's degree in finance from the College of Business and Innovation.
"Drew comes from a great family and he's a guy that understands the importance of handling responsibilities at a high level," head coach Jason Candle said. "He's been that way since the minute he stepped on campus. Drew is a guy that doesn't back away from challenges. He meets them head on."
"As a parent, it feels great to know that one of your children has put forth that much effort and dedication towards something," said Steve Rosi, who played on the last undefeated Rocket team in 1995. "It's a difficult thing to play Division I sports and graduate college while doing as well as Drew has academically. It makes me smile to know what he has been able to accomplish."
Drew is the oldest of the three children in the Rosi family, all of whom are student-athletes. His younger brother Nick maintained the family legacy and followed him to Toledo, earning Freshman All-America honors as an offensive lineman last season. Younger sister Raegan is a freshman on the Wheeling University volleyball team. Living in the Columbus suburb of Powell, most of the conversations around sports unsurprisingly revolved around the Ohio State Buckeyes. But not for the Rosi family.
"Growing up in the Columbus area it was always about Ohio State or Michigan," Drew said. "But I didn't really care about either because I was a Rocket fan."
A standout player at Olentangy Liberty High School, Drew had other opportunities to play college football, but in the end the decision was a no-brainer.
"I had other offers," Drew said. "But the only school that I think really appreciated me and wanted me was Toledo."
Drew had grown up hearing about Toledo football and rooting for the Midnight Blue and Gold; now he would be joining them on the gridiron.
"When I was younger I used to listen to my dad's stories about how it was when he was here," Drew said. "It's cool being here and seeing his picture in the tight end room. It's a great place to be and I'm very fortunate to have the opportunity to play where he did."
Earning the chance to be a Division I student-athlete is an accomplishment in itself, let alone becoming an important contributor on a team. And if there was one person who knew what it felt like to stand in Drew's shoes, it was his father.


Drew (center) with his father Steve (far left), sister Raegan
(second from left), mother Deana (second from right),
and brother Nick (far right).  

"I know the dedication and hard work it takes to just being available, and enduring all the bumps and bruises," Steve said. "It means a lot to see him out there. I still get chills."
Last week's game against Eastern Michigan was the first time Steve was not able to see Drew or Nick play in person. They're all only a phone call away though, and Steve has been happy to serve as a resource for his two sons.
"They know I'm here and I've obviously shared a lot with them over the years," Steve said. "But I also know they take care of their business and do things the right way. As a father, I'm actually proud of the times they don't lean on me because I know they're doing okay on their own and thriving."
To steal a phrase from his father, Drew has definitely been taking care of business academically. He carries a 3.72 cumulative grade point average as a finance major and has met the criteria to be an Academic All-America nominee each of the last two seasons. The move to virtual classes this semester has not affected him at all; on the contrary, they're a good fit for his personality.
"I've always liked online classes," Drew said. "I like to get all of my work done as soon as I can so I can have plenty of time for football or to hang out or do whatever I want to do. Having online classes where I can work at my own pace helps with that. I've also had a lot of online classes in the past, so I was used to that type of schedule."
Drew plans to pursue professional football opportunities that become available once he leaves Toledo, and his dream job isn't far removed from his pigskin dreams. One day he would like to put his finance degree to good use and become the CFO of an NFL franchise.
Drew's Toledo journey doesn't end with the Virtual Commencement ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 6. The Rockets' final regular season game is six days later on Dec. 12 against Central Michigan, and he has also enrolled in COBI's graduate program where he will pursue his MBA in finance. The door is not closed on his playing career either; all football student-athletes in NCAA Division I will not accrue a year of eligibility this season, meaning he will be able to return in 2021 if he so desires.
In any case, receiving his bachelor's degree is a natural time to reflect on his time as a Rocket, and one thing is abundantly clear. Not only has Drew Rosi left an impact on the University of Toledo, but the University of Toledo has left an impact on Drew Rosi.
"It's been one of the best decisions I've ever made," Drew said. "Being able to graduate college and pursue a career in football or finance or something else entirely, my time at Toledo will give me the opportunity to be successful in whatever I do. It's something you dream about when you're a kid."

The Battle Royale that wasn't OSU beats back upstart Indiana 42-35

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Ohio State junior quarterback Justin Fields (1) rushes the football down the field against Indiana Nov. 21. Credit: Christian Harsa | Assistant Photo Editor

Ohio State got its first top-10 win Saturday, but its play on the field left much to be desired. 
The Buckeyes jumped out to a hot start, forcing Indiana into a quick punt on its opening drive and scoring on a two-play drive capped off by a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Justin Fields to sophomore wide receiver Garrett Wilson. 
However following that opening drive, Fields’ next three throws would result in two interceptions and an incompletion, allowing the Hoosiers to stick around in the opening half. Although the game would get as narrow as seven points late in the fourth quarter, Ohio State (4-0) would ultimately win the game 42-35 against Indiana (4-

“Really excited to be 4-0,” head coach Ryan Day said Saturday. “Coming off the bye week there and just looking back on everything we’ve been through the last few months, to be 4-0, be first place in the Big Ten East, big, big deal. Couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
Fields went on to finish the game 18-for-30 for 300 yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. 
Wilson and junior wide receiver Chris Olave continued their stellar play with both reaching the 100-yard mark again. Wilson has reached the century-mark in every game this season, while this is Olave’s third game over 100 yards. 
Wilson hauled in seven receptions for 169 yards and two scores, while Olave added 101 yards on eight receptions. 
On the ground, redshirt sophomore running back Master Teague III had a career day, finishing the game with a career-high in yards and touchdowns. 

GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jackson’s Steve Maddalena Tops 2020 Senior Honor Roll

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​FARMINGTON HILLS – Jackson’s Steve Maddalena has taken his game to the national stage in recent years, but still manages to star at home at age 60, too.
   “Honestly, I’m playing better now than I have in a long time,” he said. “I’m more comfortable with my game and playing against national players has helped.”
  Maddalena, a Country Club of Jackson member, is the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) Senior Men’s Player of the Year, Ken Hartmann senior director of competitions and USGA services, announced today. It’s the second consecutive year that Maddalena has earned the honor.
  GAM Players of the Year are determined by the Honor Roll/Player of the Year points system. Player of the Year point totals can be found on a pull down from the PLAY tab at GAM.org.
  Last week James Piot of Canton was named the GAM Men’s Player of the Year and Anna Kramer of Spring Lake was named the Women’s Player of the Year. Over the next few weeks the GAM will announce more Players of the Year in gender and age categories.
  “It was one of my goals this year – to try and repeat as Senior Player of the Year – and I was fortunate to do that,” said Maddalena, who was elected to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2007. “The competition is great and it doesn’t get easier. Every year a new group of guys turn 55 and make it even more competitive.”
  Most of the national events outside of USGA competitions don’t factor in GAM Player of the Year points, but Maddalena did have four top-10 finishes in significant tournaments around the country. His best finish was a second in the recent Society of Seniors – Founder’s Cup Championship at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif.
  His 393 GAM Player of the Year points were built primarily by winning the Michigan Senior Open in a sudden-death playoff with fellow Hall of Fame member and professional Jeff Roth of Boyne Golf Academy, as well as reaching the semifinals of the GAM Senior Match Play Championship where he was topped by eventual champion Mitch Wilson of Portage.
  It was Wilson, a member at the Moors Golf Club and the 2018 Senior Men’s Player of the Year, who finished second in the 2020 Player of the Year point totals with 233 points.
  Gregg Bonamici of Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club, the GAM Senior Champion, was third with 200 points. Jerry Gunthorpe of Ovid and Owosso Country Club was third with 190 points, and John Barbour of Grand Rapids and Cascade Hills Country Club rounded out the top five with 150 points.
  Barbour lost in a playoff to Bonamici in the GAM Senior Championship at Belvedere, and Maddalena said missing a putt on the final hole of regulation play to miss being part of the playoff was one of his few regrets of the summer.
  “I really wanted to win that tournament at Belvedere, one of my favorite courses,” said Maddalena, who won his first of three Michigan Amateur titles at the Charlevoix classic course.
   Otherwise, Maddalena, who also won the Jackson City Golf Championship for a record eighth time and became its oldest winner ever, said he had a solid summer and plans to keep playing a combination of Michigan and national tournaments.
  “I’ve had a lot of fun traveling around playing against the best players in the country,” he said. “To get ranked in the national top 50 seniors in the country (World Amateur Golf Rankings) was one my goals for the summer and I finished at 46. I would like to keep improving on that. As long as I feel I’m competitive and have a reasonable chance to win, I’ll keep playing like this. As soon as I feel I don’t have a chance to win, I probably will not be playing much and saving myself a lot of money.”
  Hartmann said he expects Maddalena to remain competitive for a long time.
   “His wedge game is really good, he’s aggressive, he grinds on that short game and doesn’t make big mistakes or big numbers,” he said. “He’s consistent and seems to work on the game like he did when he was younger. He’s a cordial guy, great to be around, not cocky, and very quiet. You don’t know if he is playing great or playing poorly. You just can’t tell from his face because he is locked-in to his game.”
Ally Challenge: ​Jim Furyk birdies 4 of 5 to  pull within one shot of the lead​ (Leaderboard Below)

The Press (including myself) talk to golf hall of famer Vijay Singh on still dominating on Legends Tour

All that mattered was the fist bump -- not handshake -- with Jack Nicklaus and taking his place along his idol, Seve Ballesteros, as the only Spaniards to reach No. 1 in the world.
With a 2-shot penalty because his ball moved the length of a dimple on his chip-in behind the 16th green, Rahm closed with 3-over 75 for a 3-shot victory over Ryan Palmer.
Rahm got up and down on the final four greens, which made it even sweeter.
One of the best performances of my life,'' Rahm said. "Yesterday was probably one of the best rounds of my life and finished today with some clutch up-and-downs. As a Spaniard, I'm kind of glad it happened that way.''
The fiery emotion is his hallmark. He showed it on a tee shot that sailed left into a creek on the 11th hole, slamming his club into the ground in a pique of anger. It was also evident with a ferocious fist pump after his flop shot from deep rough behind the 16th green rolled into the cup.
Birdie or bogey, it was a winner, a shot that would have made Ballesteros proud.
"I still can't believe it, I'm not going to lie,'' Rahm told Nicklaus off the 18th green.
With the penalty -- Rahm had no idea it was an issue until after his round but accepted the penalty when he saw video that zoomed in on the ball -- he finished at 9-under 279 for his 10th career victory and fourth on the PGA Tour.
Muirfield Village played its toughest in 42 years, with only five players under par, the fewest for the final round since the tournament began in 1976. Rahm's 75 was the highest finish by a winner since Roger Maltbie shot 76 the inaugural year.
The rough wasn't cut all week. The greens were allowed to go to the edge because they are being replaced. Crews stripped the entire fifth green as the leaders were on the back nine.
Rahm looked to be playing a different course. He played bogey-free on the front nine, with birdies on the two par-5s. That put him eight shots clear on his way to No. 1.
Then he made bogey on the 10th. Not a problem.
He yanked his tee shot into a creek on the par-5 11th, and that was a bigger problem, based on how hard he slammed the club into the ground in a pique of anger. He made double-bogey. Palmer made birdie on the 12th, and Rahm made another bogey from the bunker on the 14th.
Just like that, the lead was three shots.

Jon Rahm, pictured above with Jack Nicklaus, closed with a 3-over 75 for a 3-shot victory over Ryan Palmer, marking the highest final round by a Memorial winner since Roger Maltbie shot 76 in the inaugural year in 1976. Aaron Doster/USA TODAY SportsOnly a week ago at Muirfield Village for the Workday Charity Open, Justin Thomas had a 3-shot lead with three holes to play and wound up losing in a playoff to Collin Morikawa.
Rahm was worried that his tee shot might find the back bunker, though the rough was not a great option with how fast the greens were running. Rahm was thinking that anything inside 10 feet would be good. This was perfect, with the ball landing on the fringe and sliding down the slope into the cup.
As for the penalty?
"It doesn't change the outcome of the tournament,'' he said. "It just puts a little bit of an asterisk in it, in the sense of I wish I could just keep that birdie because it was one of the greatest shots of my life, right?''
The chip was similar -- but from a different angle -- to Tiger Woods' chipping in from behind the 16th green when he won the Memorial for the fifth time in 2012.
Woods, in his first competition since Feb. 16 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, shot 76 and tied for 40th.
Matthew Fitzpatrick had a 68 for the low score of the final day to finish third.
The consolation prize went to Palmer (74) and Mackenzie Hughes (72), who earned spots in the U.S. Open in September at Winged Foot as the leading two players from the top 10 who were not already eligible.
Henrik Norlander could have taken the final spot with a par on the 18th, but he missed the fairway well to the right, couldn't reach the green and made bogey. Norlander and Hughes tied at 3-under 285, but the spot went to Hughes because he had the better world ranking.
That ranking now starts with Rahm, who only four years ago was at the Memorial to receive the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation's best college player.
Now he's the best in the world, a ranking Rory McIlroy had since Feb. 9.
"He deserves it," McIlroy said after his tie for 32nd. "He's been playing great for a long time. Even the display this week, it's pretty impressive."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By Tyler Kotila- New Jock City-​​The Detroit Tigers are buried in the rebuild right now, but 2020 is still going to be a make or break season for outfielder JaCoby Jones as he looks to show he belongs.The 2020 season is going to be a crucial one for Detroit Tigers outfielder JaCoby Jones who needs to prove that he belongs in the big leagues after a rough showing the past two seasons. Jones has been in the big leagues for parts of the past four seasons. The main issue with Jones is his plate discipline and lack of patience, leading to far too many strikeouts.
The Tigers outfield this year consists of some familiar faces, even an old friend in the form of Cameron Maybin, but if Jones wants to stick around, he needs to improve and show he belongs. He will get the opportunities this year platooning with Maybin and Víctor Reyes, who will find himself all over.
With Daz Cameron continuing in his route to the big leagues, Jones is going to have some more competition once the prospects within the organization continue developing. That is if he’s still around by that point in time.
​
In 2019, Jones played in eighty-eight games where he hit .235/.310/.430 with eleven home runs and twenty-six RBI while striking out ninety-four times. Injuries kept Jones on the injured list in 2019, and off the lineup card, he continued to show inconsistency either way.
Back in 2018, in his first “full” season in the big leagues, Jones was not very good posting a .207/.266/.304  with eleven home runs and thirty-four RBI while striking out 142 times on the season. Jones’s inconsistency at the plate has limited his value during his time in the big leagues.
The hope for Jones would be that a strong spring performance would carry over to the regular season, and he can emerge as a true consistent everyday centerfielder.
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Musings of a Filterless Reporter-Column
​by Roy J. Akers

​

 My take on Detroit Sports News- by Roy J. Akers



The Ally Challenge: Who is more excited, Tom Izzo to meet the Legends or the Legends to meet Izzo?

The Detroit Tigers fire general manager Al Avila

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By Brandon Day- Courtesy of SB Nation-Well the time has finally come. After seven years, Executive Vice-President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, Al Avila, has been fired by the Detroit Tigers. We had an inkling this was coming, but it’s still surprising to see that Team President Chris Ilitch has decided to make the move. The Tigers announced the move themselves on Wednesday afternoon.

© Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press / USA TODAY NETWORKThe Detroit Tigers fire general manager Al AvilaAvila was promoted to the role in August of 2015, after the firing of long-time GM Dave Dombrowski by previous owner Mike Ilitch. Starting with his first full season in 2016, the Tigers have a record of 404-573 under Avila heading into Wednesday night’s matchup against Cleveland.
Avila’s hiring was supposed to initiate a new era in Tigers baseball. The idea was to construct a modern organization largely from scratch after the final years of big payrolls left the Tigers’ minor league system in terrible shape both in terms of players, personnel, and facilities. At the same time, Avila was to oversee the 2016 re-tooling in a final attempt to turn out another winner for Mike Ilitch. On every front things went very poorly.
A tacit admission of the fact came last summer, when Avila fired his long-time head of player development head, Dave Littlefield, beginning a major overhaul in coaches and decision-makers in the player development system. At the time, those major changes to the front office engaged speculation that Avila had bought himself a few more years to turn things around after pretty poor progress to that point. Unfortunately for Avila, his attempts to build a team with the potential to at least begin competing for a playoff spot fell badly flat this year, and the prospect capital built up through years of losing hasn’t produced the stockpile of high end young talent that was hoped as of yet.
Meanwhile, the fanbase finally reached the limits of its patience this season. Anger and frustration has been the theme of the 2022 season, and we can only hope now that brighter days are ahead.
There is no word on Avila’s replacement. A press conferrence is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. EDT with Ilitch to discuss the firing and the plan to move forward in finding the next general manager of the Detroit Tigers.

Erik Jones Foundation gives the first of many checks for cancer research in honor of his late father

Lou Whitaker's No. 1 etched into Tigers history: 'One of the greatest moments in my life'

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When Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has a chance to teach a baseball history lesson, he takes it.
And so, Friday afternoon, he sat in the clubhouse with his pitchers — Tyler Alexander, Jason Foley, Tarik Skubal and Will Vest — talking about the weekend's upcoming ceremony.
He realized they knew Lou Whitaker, but didn't know Lou Whitaker.
So he gave them an assignment: Grab your phones, he instructed, pull up Alan Trammell on one and Whitaker on the other. 
"The reason I did it is because we hold Alan Trammell in such reverence because he’s active (in the organization), he’s here with us, he instructs us, I mean there’s always a smile on our face when he comes around," Hinch said. "Lou has not been around, but he was just Alan Trammell at a different position.
"I mean if you look at his offensive profile, the five-time All-Star, the Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year (in 1978) — just to open the eyes of our players on what Lou meant to this franchise."
'THAT DAY WILL COME':As Detroit Tigers hail Lou Whitaker, he's ready for Hall of Fame nod
CELEBRATING GREATNESS:Reliving Lou Whitaker's greatest games with the Detroit Tigers before number retirement
The thousands of fans who lined the streets prior to Comerica Park's gates opening Saturday needed no such history lesson.
Many have personal memories of Whitaker's 19 seasons wearing the Old English "D." The sellout crowd of 40,101 (the second-largest crowd of the season) added another memory Saturday, prior to the Tigers' game against the Tampa Bay Rays — the black tarp on the wall above the bullpen in left-center coming down to reveal Whitaker's name and No. 1 permanently inscribed at Comerica Park.
No. 1 will never be worn by a Tiger again.
"This will be one of the greatest moments in my life," Whitaker said on the stage erected in the Comerica infied. "Just knowing that my number will be retired, and I have a chance to see my name on the wall with those legends from Tigers history."
It was at times hard to hear master of ceremonies Dan Dickerson, Trammell or any of the other teammates of Whitaker who shared their sentiments via a video shown on the board Saturday evening as more than 30,000 fans serenaded the field with  "Looooouuuuuuuu."
But the message was clear, with Trammell — whose number was retired in 2018 soon after his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame — setting the tone.
"Yes," Trammell said when he took the mic. "Why yes? Because for four years, I've been uncomfortable. I have been extremely honored and grateful to have my No. 3 retired.


Lions HC Dan Campbell explains why he calls WR Josh Reynolds 'The Praying Mantis'

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The Detroit Lions head coach Campbell went viral at training camp over the weekend when he revealed the funny nickname that he has for wide receiver Josh Reynolds — ‘The Praying Mantis.’
“He’s slippery, man,” said Campbell of Reynolds, per Lions writer Dave Birkett. “I call him ‘The Praying Mantis.’ He’s the spider of death. There’s something about him. Fricking serpent.”
Reynolds, who caught 19 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns in seven games for Detroit after being acquired in the middle of last season, definitely possesses some mantis-like qualities. He is flexible, sneaks past defenders seemingly undetected and is surprisingly deadly for his size.
Big Ten Announces Football Preseason Honors
Nine returning All-Big Ten selections highlight this year’s list​
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ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced its 2022 football preseason honors on Monday ahead of the start of Big Ten Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium. A media panel selected the 10-member preseason list, with five representatives each from the East and West Divisions. Ohio State placed a trio of honorees on the East Division list highlighted by the unanimous selection of quarterback C.J. Stroud, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy last season. Stroud was joined on this year’s preseason East Division squad by a pair of Buckeye offensive standouts in running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as Michigan running back Blake Corum and Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed. Four different schools placed students on the West Division preseason list, led by two representatives from Wisconsin in running back Braelon Allen and linebacker Nick Herbig. They were joined on the list by Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell, Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski and Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell. Last season, Stroud was named the Big Ten Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year and Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year. He was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection alongside Campbell and Skoronski, joining second-team selections Henderson, O’Connell and Allen, as well as third-team honorees Corum, Reed and Smith-Njigba. Seven of this year’s Big Ten preseason honorees — Campbell, Reed, Skoronski, Smith-Njigba, Stroud, O’Connell and Herbig — are scheduled to attend Big Ten Media Days this week in Indianapolis. The full list of Big Ten football preseason honorees is as follows: EAST
Blake Corum, RB, MICH
Jayden Reed, WR, MSU
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, OSU
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, OSU

C.J. STROUD, QB, OSU WEST
Jack Campbell, LB, IOWA

Peter Skoronski, OT, NU
Aidan O’Connell, QB, PUR
Braelon Allen, RB, WIS

Nick Herbig, OLB, WIS Unanimous selection in ALL CAPS

Nightengale's Notebook: MLB's first half superlatives, from MVPs to worst free agent signings

Nightengale's Notebook: MLB's first half superlatives, from MVPs to worst free agent signings
Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY
Sun, July 17, 2022 at 3:22 PMLOS ANGELES – Come on, you didn’t know the Baltimore Orioles would actually be the one of the best teams in baseball for the past month and in contention for a playoff berth?
You didn’t realize that the New York Yankees and Houston Astros would have their divisions sewn up by the All-Star break?
You didn’t have Clay Holmes as the Yankees’ All-Star closer or Nestor Cortes as an All-Star starter?
Welcome to the wacky first half of the 2022 season, a year that started late, saw three managers fired and another half-dozen on the hot-seat.
Here we are with our first-half award winners, award clunkers, winners, losers and those caught stuck in neutral.
Best team in baseballAnthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton celebrate a home run.New York Yankees: Take a bow GM Brian Cashman, remaking the team during the winter, emphasizing pitching and athleticism, and sitting with one of the best records in the first half in franchise history.
Runner-up: Houston Astros – Carlos Correa walks away. Lance McCullers hasn’t thrown a pitch. But, oh, they still have Dusty Baker working his magic.
Worst team in baseball
Oakland Athletics: If you’re into gambling, the bet of the year was taking the under on the A’s winning 77 games this year. What, the oddsmakers weren’t paying attention knowing that once they let manager Bob Melvin walk away, they were planning to gut the roster and tear down the franchise to its foundation. Oh, and guess what, they’re going to get worse after they dump ace Frankie Montas, center fielder Ramon Laureano and more. It will be a miraculous finish if they lose only 100 games.
Runner-up: Washington Nationals – The 2019 World Series flag looks beautiful at Nationals Park, but who would have ever envisioned that the Orioles have a better future than the Nationals? They also are about to get even worse after the trade deadline with the departures of sluggers Josh Bell and Nelson Cruz.

Most surprising team: Baltimore Orioles: Funny what a 10-game winning streak, their longest since 1999, can do for a team’s image. The question for the Orioles over the years hasn’t been whether they would lose 100 games, but if they break the all-time record. They lost 110 games last year, were 180 games under .500 the previous three seasons, and opened the year with a $45 million payroll. These days, despite playing in baseball’s toughest division, they are a .500 team, with a 21-9 record since June 11, second-best in baseball.
The Orioles still plan to sell off some of pieces at the trade deadline, refusing to be sucked in by the hype, but with much more of a balanced scheduled a year from now, they  could be an honest-to-goodness contender.
Runner-up: Minnesota Twins – A year ago, they were an after-thought, losing 87 games. Even when they picked up Carlos Correa in spring training, he was considered prime trade bait at the deadline. Well, here they are, with a bullpen that regularly melts down, a starting rotation where there are no stars, and leading the AL Central.
Most disappointing teamTony La Russa was hired prior to the 2021 season.Chicago White Sox: Really, it’s not even close, despite their recent winning streak. This team has been hit by injuries, but still, they are a mess, even playing in an awful division. They can’t play defense. They can’t run the bases. Their offense has stunk until lately. And their pitching is wildly erratic. If this team doesn’t turn it around and make the postseason, the front office is going to sit down with Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa this winter and try to convince him the time has come to walk away into a front-office role.
Runner-up: Los Angeles Angels – This was supposed to be the year they at least stayed in contention for a playoff berth with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Who thought they’d lose 36 of their last 48 games and be eliminated by July, firing manager Joe Maddon and nothing changing, sitting with a 39-52 record entering Saturday.
American League MVPAaron Judge is a free agent after the 2022 season.Aaron Judge, Yankees: When you’re the best player on the best team in baseball and are having the best year of your career, how can it go to anyone else? Remember, this is a Most VALUABLE Player award, not a best player award, eliminating Shohei Ohtani. If it was simply about being the best player, Barry Bonds would have won about years in a row. Judge deserves the award for having so much confidence and faith in himself that he casually dismissed a seven-year, $213.5 million offer this spring, saying he’ll talk again in the offseason, and see who’s right.
Runner-up: Yordan Alvarez, Astros – The guy signed a $115 million extension in his first year of salary arbitration and it already looks like a steal two months in Alvarez is that talented – hitting .306 with 26 homers, 60 RBI, and a league-leading.653 slugging percentage and 1.058 OPS – and with a strong second half, could steal the award from Judge.
National League MVPPaul Goldschmidt is an All-Star for the first time since 2018.Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals: OK, there’s hardly anyone still alive who actually met Lou Gehrig, but Goldschmidt may be the second coming of the Iron Horse. He has played more games than anyone in baseball since joining the Cardinals, and has been the NL’s best overall hitter, leading the league in batting average (.329), on-base percentage (.414) and OPS (.998). How rare is the feat? No Cardinals player has ever accomplished it. He also remains an elite defensive first baseman and baserunner.
Runner-up: Manny Machado, Padres – The Padres would be dead and buried without Machado’s fabulous first half (.307, 15 homers, 51 RBI, .906 OPS) and Gold Glove defense. He has become their team leader, and is the primary reason they’ve hung around in the NL West race without Fernando Tatis Jr. stepping onto the field.
Best free agent signingMax Scherzer, Mets: The guy has been worth every penny of his $43 million annual salary. He missed time due to injury but has come back strong and is a force in the clubhouse, commanding respect.
Runner-up: Matt Carpenter, Yankees – Nobody wanted him all winter. He was in Triple-A for the Rangers until mid-May. He asked for his release, the Yankees were the only team that called, and he now has hit more home runs (12) for the Yankees in 72 at-bats than he did the entire past two years for the St. Louis Cardinals. Pretty nice getting a guy off the scrap heap averaging a homer every six at-bats.
Worst free agent signingBaez spent 2021 with the Cubs and Mets before signing with Detroit.Javy Baez, Tigers: Sure, the Tigers knew he was a free swinger, but maybe not to this extent, chasing 47.5% of pitches outside the strike zone. He is hitting just .218 with a .256 on-base percentage and .384 slugging percentage. The guy is even struggling in the field, with a minus-3 in defensive runs saved. The Tigers have five more years of Baez to see him get right.
Runner-up: Kris Bryant, Rockies – You don’t pay a fella $182 million to hit four home runs with 11 RBI playing at Coors Field. Bryant has been hurt, missing nearly two months with a bad back and entering the weekend having played just 30 games. He needs a solid second half for Rockies fans to believe this was the right move.
AL Cy YoungShane McClanahan, Rays: He is a blast to watch, striking out a league-high 147 batters with twice as many strikeouts as hits (69) allowed. McClanahan (10-3, 1.71 ERA) is most dominant pitcher in the league, giving up more than two earned runs in just two of his 18 starts, and leading the league in ERA, WHIP (0.795), opponent’s batting average (.176) and strikeout percentage (35.7 percent). He could join Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers in history to strike out at least 200 batters, give up half as many hits, and have a sub-2.00 ERA.
Runner-up: Justin Verlander, Astros – The guy is 39 years old, coming back from Tommy John surgery, and is 11-3 with a 2.00 ERA. He’s one of the game’s greatest pitchers of his era, with a plaque awaiting him at Cooperstown.
NL Cy YoungSandy Alcantara is an All-Star for the second time in his career.Sandy Alcantara, Marlins: Who does he think he is, Bob Gibson? You talk about old-school. Alcantara (9-4, 1.76 ERA) has pitched at least eight innings in nine of his starts this year – six more than any other pitcher in baseball – and has gone a full nine innings three times. He has made 13 consecutive starts pitching at least seven innings, allowing two or fewer runs in 12 of the starts. It’s the longest stretch by any pitcher since 2014. He has pitched an MLB-leading 138⅓ innings, 30 more than anyone else.
Runner-up: Tony Gonsolin, Dodgers – When you’re 11-0 with a 2.02 ERA, it doesn’t matter how many innings you’re pitching. And don’t let anyone tell you differently. Wins means everything to starting pitchers.
AL Rookie of the YearJulio Rodriguez, Mariners: He may be the best outfielder to come out of Seattle since a fella by the name of Ken Griffey Jr. He can do anything and everything. He had a miserable April getting acclimated, hitting .206 without a home run, and has since hit 16 homers, with 44 of his 50 RBI, and has stolen 12 of his MLB-leading 21 steals since May 1.
He became the fastest player in big-league history to reach 15 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases, and the first rookie with that many homers and stolen bases before the All-Star break since Devon White of the Angels in 1987.
He could join Mike Trout as the only players in baseball history to hit 30 homers and steal 40 bases in a season at the age of 21 or younger. He is the reason for the Mariners’ resurgence and could certainly wind up in AL MVP discussions.
Runner-up: Jeremy Pena, Astros: Carlos Correa may be gone, and certainly he is a force in the middle of any lineup, but man, has Pena ever stepped in nicely with his magnificent defense.
NL Rookie of the YearMichael Harris' promotion coincided with Atlanta catching fire.Michael Harris, Atlanta: Harris, 21, stepped into Atlanta’s lineup on May 28, without having played a single game at Class AAA, and they have been winning virtually every day since. He has been phenomenal defensively, and his offense has surprised Atlanta executives, and even himself, hitting .277 with eight homers, 26 RBI and an .804 OPS.
Runner-up: Spencer Strider, Atlanta – He made his first start on May 30 in an experiment to see if he could cut it out of the bullpen. He proved he’s not only ready, but is flourishing with a 3-1, 2.74 ERA as a starter, striking out 73 batters in 46 innings, and yielding a .180 batting average and measly .536 OPS.
AL Manager of the YearBrandon Hyde, Orioles: Remember when no one could tell whether Hyde was a good manager or a poor one considering he didn’t have any players? Well, despite having the least amount of talent of any team in the AL East, if not the entire American League, no one has gotten more out of his players. He is the leader of the league’s biggest surprise.
Runner-up: Dusty Baker, Astros – Baker, 72, owns his own vineyard he’s getting better with age, too. The Astros were expected to take a step backwards this year and perhaps even relinquish their AL West crown. Instead, they’re running away from the pack.
NL Manager of the YearMets manager Buck Showalter talks with shortstop Francisco Lindor.Buck Showalter, Mets: The only real question is why he remained on the sidelines for three years while everyone snubbed him looking for managers. He has always been one of the game’s best managers and now he’s excelling on the biggest stage in the game. It’s hard to believe that no Mets manager has ever won the NL award. That will end this year.
Runner-up: Bob Melvin, Padres – The Padres melted down when they were in contention last summer. This time around, there’s so much confidence and trust in Melvin that they believe they’re as good as any team in baseball. He’s one the game’s most underrated managers in the last two decades.
Managers on the hot seatThere have been three managers already fired in the first half of the season.
The last time we’ve seen such a turnover before the All-Star Game was back in 2015:
So who’s next on the chopping block in 2022?
While it’s hard to see anyone getting fired until the offseason, there are six managers who may be gone before the December winter meetings.
Tony La Russa, White Sox
The White Sox certainly won’t fire him during the season, but may have no choice to re-assign him if they don’t reach the playoffs. The team is dysfunctional with lack of leadership, and although it’s hardly all La Russa’s fault, he hasn’t changed the culture.
Torey Lovullo, Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are still rebuilding, and like Charlie Montoyo, Lovullo is loved in the organization but too many fundamental mistakes continue to be made, with ownership already rejecting the front office’s request for an extension.
Mike Matheny, Royals
The Royals expected to make great strides this year and at least flirt with mediocrity. They’ve instead gone backwards and have the second-worst record in the American League.
Don Mattingly, Marlins
Mattingly took a pay cut just to come back to the Marlins. They need to make the playoffs, or at least come awfully close, to assure his job security for another year.
Scott Servais, Mariners
Servais and GM Jerry Dipoto are joined at the hip since arriving to Seattle seven years ago, but if the Mariners miss the playoffs for the 21st consecutive year after their recent hot streak, someone may have to pay the price.
Chris Woodward, Rangers 
You don’t spend a half-billion in free agency and expect to be doormats. Woodward’s job with the Rangers may hinge on just how close they come to the playoffs without making it.
Around the basepaths– The Washington Nationals may be telling teams that All-Star outfielder Juan Soto is now available after he rejected their 15-year, $440 million contract offer, but it still appears unlikely that he’ll be moved by the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
Nats officials say they will have to be overwhelmed by an offer to trade him in the next three weeks knowing he’s still under control through the 2024 season.
Teams realize that if he’s not going to sign a $440 million deal with his homegrown team, he’s not about to turn around and immediately sign with them.
Still, he easily becomes the hottest name on the trade market, and it will be fascinating just who will make serious offers.
– The Angels have gone from potential buyers to sellers, and with the thin market for starting pitchers, they could get a prized prospect for Noah Syndergaard, even with his $21 million salary.
– Just how much will the Reds gets for ace Luis Castillo, who clearly is the No. 1 trade chip in baseball? yielding a 1.00 ERA in his last four starts with a 1.38 ERA against the powerful AL East.
Executives predict it will cost a team at least two of its top five prospects, and perhaps three of their top 10.
Castillo has yielded a 1.00 ERA in his last four starts  and isn't a free agent until after the 2023 season.
The Yankees would love to have him as their No. 2 starter behind Gerrit Cole. The Yankees’ starting rotation had the lowest ERA in the major leagues on June 5, but since has a 4.42 ERA, ranking just 18th.
This is a rotation with Luis Severino, who’s on the IL with a lat strain, and hasn’t pitched a full season since 2018.
Nestor Cortes is just shy of his career high in inninga.
Jameson Taillon, who was yielding a.353 slugging percentage on June 5, since has a major-league worst .608.
The Reds, badly in need of young position players, will have one of the top 10 farm systems after trading Castillo.

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Barry Sanders, Tom Izzo, Calvin Johnson and Dylan Larkin Lead Star-Studded Field as Rocket Mortgage Classic Announces Participants for AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble presented by the Total Health Care Foundation 

Writer-director of 'Bull Durham' reveals behind-the-scenes stories of timeless movie

DETROIT (July 13, 2022) – The Rocket Mortgage Classic today announced a star-studded field for a special event that has quickly become a fan favorite during tournament week. The annual AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble presented by the Total Health Care Foundation will feature a pair of football Hall of Famers, a Hall of Fame basketball coach, a two-time NHL All-Star, a long drive world-record holder, a world-famous musician, up-and-coming golf stars and some of the biggest names on the PGA TOUR. 
 The AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble - awarded the PGA TOUR’s “Best Special Event” after its debut in 2019 - will be held Tuesday, July 26 at Detroit Golf Club. It is one of the many special events being held during Detroit Community Days presented by DTE Energy, which provide complimentary admission and parking on Tuesday, July 26 and Wednesday, July 27.  
 The Rocket Mortgage Classic returns July 26-31 to Detroit Golf Club, bringing the PGA TOUR event to the city of Detroit for the fourth straight year. Tickets for Thursday-Sunday competition rounds are available at RocketMortgageClassic.com. 
Julie Hinds- Courtesy of Detroit Free Press

The genius of “Bull Durham” can be found in so many scenes, including one in which minor-league veteran Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) coaches pitching newcomer Ebby Calvin (Nuke) LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) on the art of being interviewed.
“You’re going to have to learn your cliches,” advises Crash. “You’re going to have to study them. ... Write this down. 'We’ve got to play them one day at a time.'” 
"'Got to play.' … That’s pretty boring, you know?” responds Nuke.
“Of course it’s boring,” says Crash. “That’s the point. Write it down!”
Yes, most real post-game interviews are mind-numbingly boring. But writer-director Ron Shelton’s 1988 movie about the Durham Bulls baseball team remains the exact opposite of boring.
The greatest sports movie of all time — that’s according to a 2003 Sports Illustrated ranking that still holds up — is the subject of Ron Shelton's new book, “The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Big Swings, and a Hit."
Shelton will talk about his memoir Thursday at a virtual event hosted by Dearborn's Henry Ford Centennial Library. Joining Shelton in the Zoom discussion will be Jim Burnstein, the director of the screenwriting program at the University of Michigan (and a screenwriter and producer who has delved into sports movies himself with the script for "D3: The Mighty Ducks"). 
Released in 1988, “Bull Durham” stars Costner as an older, wiser catcher for the Durham, North Carolina, team, Robbins as the mix of raw talent and naivete that is Nuke and Susan Sarandon as Annie Savoy, a so-called baseball groupie who's in love with the game and who practices serial monogamy by romancing one player each season. 
What makes "Bull Durham" such a timeless movie? Burnstein says the short answer is that Shelton designed it that way.
"Ron Shelton pitched it as 'Lysistrata' in the minor leagues. And you don’t have to be a fan of Aristophanes or baseball to get it," says Burnstein, referring to the ancient Greek play about a battle of the sexes.
"It’s a pitcher, a catcher and a woman who tells the tale. She sleeps with one of them, but the other one is the right guy. You cannot help but love all of these characters. The story rings true because the minor league world Shelton creates is one he inhabited. It’s funny and sad and perfectly cast. 'Bull Durham' is the gold standard when it comes to sports movies because it’s not about sports." 
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The latest in sports and my unfiltered take

MAC Championship Game pits two unexpected teams for conference title champion


Ja     Its totally expected that most Michigan fans whether the Wolverines, Spartans and so on are looking toward Indianapolis. The Michigan Wolverines are making their first appearance in Indianapolis against the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

   At Ford Field in Detroit, the MAC west champions Northern Illinois (8-4, 6-2 MAC and the Kent St. Golden Flashes (7-5, 6-2 MAC) squared off and neither of these teams were expected to be playing in this game back in July when media and conference coaches made their preseason polls. 
Not that this stopped former MSU quarterback and Rocky Lombardi, who has found his rhythm playing for the NIU Huskies. The Huskies took the opening kickoff and moved the ball 41 yards and used a 37 yard field goal by kicker John Richardson to take a three point lead.  
The Golden Flashes Dustin Crum is determined to throw the ball Six of the nine plays on the first drive were in the air and a touchdown strike was called back after an illegal player went downfield. 
For NIU, a series of running plays went nowhere in drive two, until a Lombardi strike to Cole Tucker gave the Huskies their second possession on the Kent St. side of the field. It culminated with an end round scamper by Jay Ducker. 

The second half saw KSU methodically march down the field and Andrew Glass' field goal put the Golden Flashes on the board. NIU 17- KSU 3.
The ball control offense led by Lombardi made its way to midfield but a Unsportsman  flag on Marques Cox which followed a Lombardi sack. They punted and the Flashes were not at work on offense for long. 
An Interception return by C.J Brown was taken to the house and increased the NIU lead to 24-3.
with less than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Golden Flashes were forced to go to the air. It worked for a first down completion to Ja'Shaun Poke for a first down. Another important play was a Crum run on a keeper. A pass interference penalty on NIU's JeVaughn Byrd put the Flashes at the NIU 15, `
Nykiem Johnson took a 15 yard pass in the flat into the endzone to cut the lead to 14. NIU 24- KSU 10
​After three quarters VVV
A 33 yard completion from Lombardi to Trayvon Rudolph was caught and challenged by KSU. It looked out on the first look as Rudolph's lead foot touched the sideline but the officials said the trail foot, which came down inbounds but after the lead foot counts. Huge play for NIU. 
Still, the Golden Flashes defense was as solid as butter on a hot summers day. An eight play 75 yard drive finished with a 5 yard Lombardi run increased the lead to NIU 31- KSU 10. 
​KSU tried to get things going trailing by 21. Crumm tried a couple of sidelines passes, a run and was sacked on 4th down. NIU took over at the 21. 
Kent State opened up the faucets late and scored two late touchdowns. NIU added a field goal. The stats are below.
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Hey, sometimes the best team wins the Solheim Cup. Here's a timeline to a win and my take

​After the US went down 5 ½ to 2 ½ after day one of the Solheim Cup, the Americans win three of four morning matches and trail 6 ½ to 5 ½. The Americans cough up the one-point deficit in the afternoon four ball matches. Their two-match deficit has the Yanks training 9 to 7 to Team Europe.
2:15 pm. Observations: The Korda sisters are mortal. Well, we knew that but when you win four tournaments and a Olympic Golf Medal between the two, you expect a lot. Neither sister played great.
2:28 pm Sorry to say, but the same went for Lexi Thompson. She dropped matches on Friday and Saturday.
2:44pm -In a Nelly Korda sighting, she now leads her match by two holes after 9. At 2:59pm, its back to one.
2:58 pm. In a gut check moment, the Americans, who put up some red on the board after a third of the day, saw blue paint the scoreboard as seven of ten matches are now in the hands of Team Europe.
3pm- Now, eight of the ten matches are controlled by Team Europe. Escargot anyone?  
3:19pm Of the eight matches in the European lead column, five are by a single shot.
3:25- Lexi misses a short birdie putt. With three holes to go, she trails by one.
3:30- Jennifer Kupcho misses her par putt. This is the first loss for the Yanks on Sunday. Its 10-7 Europe.  
3:39- With Thompson and Ally Ewing now trailing by one hole, the Americans trail 8 to four in single matches and all players have at least started their back nine.
3:51 Ally Ewing misses a birdie putt on 16. Sagstrom finishes the match with a birdie. The final is 3 and 2. 11-7 Euros.
3:56 The Europeans win their third consecutive match as Boutier whipes out Harigae 5&4. Europe now leads 12-7.
4:09  For Team USA, Maria Salas has birdied number 13 and has made her match all square.
4:13 Thompson and Nordqvist finish their match halved. Europe leads 12 ½ to 7 ½.
4:22- Looking at the numbers, the Americans lead in four of the six remaining matches with two more all square. They need to win those four matches. Then they need the two AS matches and need to take one more point from a match the Europeans lead. My pencil is dull, but trying to find a way.
4:30 Nelly Korda nearly holes a birdie, but it was enough to finish off Georgia Hall. It is the American’s first win today in the fifth match of the day. 8 ½ to 12 ½
4:31 Brittany Altomare makes the anaconda and squares the match after 14.
4:47- Not much has changed on the math front. The matches are still basically the same except Danielle Kang now trails by two in her final match against Emily Pedersen.
4:48 The Americans have been dancing around the hole all day with hardly a made putt to show for it. Momma told me there would be days like these.
5:00 Sophia Popov wins her third straight hole to cut the Khang lead to three with three to play.
5:01 Lizette Salas hits a rope to eight feet. She could tie her match. Nope. She misses her putt. She makes the comebacker and the Yanks have a slight chance. Castren makes her putt and guarantees the Europeans at least a half point.
5:13 Khang closes out Popov with a par and wins the match 3&2. Europe 13, USA 10.
5:18 Matilda Castren stares down a putt after Salas misses her putt. She makes and The Euros are now sitting at 14. Europe 14, USA 10.
At 5:20pm, Europe clinches when Emily Pedersen was guaranteed a half point being up over Danielle Kang by three.
  • The Keys to the 2021 Solheim Cup.
  • Europe leading 3 ½ to ½ in the Saturday AM session.
  • The Americans closed to 6 ½ to 5 ½ after Sunday morning. The Europeans opened the lead back to two.
  • The Americans poor start on Sunday morning trailing in nearly every match was the smoke in the garage. Not making putts or having anything magical happen gave them what they deserved. A second place finish to a superb European team.
  • My MVP Europe’s Leona Macguire. She went 5-0 for Europe. She is a terrific player who is clutch and keeps her mistakes to a minimum.
Let the celebrating begin. A night of Haggis and pints for the European team. 

Thoughts on NASCAR at Indy, James Piot and Tiger promotions of top draft picks

“In my wildest dreams I could never imagine the way that just played out,” Allmendinger said.
​   Well, that about sums it up for AJ Allmendinger, whose name was never mentioned until there were two laps to go on Sunday. When Chase Briscoe clipped Denny Hamlin in overtime on Sunday, NASCAR really only has about a dozen cars that realistically have a shot of winning in any given CUP race and for a former full-time cup rider gaining rides only on road courses, Allmendinger won a race for the little guys. 
   Bet you Bubba Wallace, who has never won a race would love to break through. So would multiple winner Erik Jones, who is still racing for his 2022 ride with Petty Enterprises, which is the black hole of racers looking for wins. 

+ Well, the crowd appeared to be decent at Indy. I was there a few years ago and it was embarrassing for NASCAR to basically have 250k seats for a race and barely 10k show up. They announced 40k, but there was no chance of that. 

   I love the new track owner Roger Penske thinking about a new way to spice up the race. The infield course was a great way to do it and the NASCAR drivers coming down turn one backwards down the straight was an interesting twist. For me, a big change is to have a racing doubleheader. The road course on Saturday, a concert on Saturday evening and racing at the famed oval on Sunday. Make it a combo ticket. 

James Piot wins the US Amateur. He is the first Michigander to ever win the tournament. I covered Piot as a high schooler a few years back and he is a very good player. Talented and more. His work ethic shows you that he can drive the ball 350 yards, but in the end, the tortoise won the match and Piot has made Michigan golfers proud. It will be great seeing him with the 10- year amateur exemption that no winner ever uses. He will be in the Master's and US Open field next year. I bet you Piot will work even harder if that is possible to make sure he is ready to make the cut and earn a check.
 

Finally, Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Ryan Kreidler from Erie to Toledo. Torkelson and Greene most likely will be ready for the big club out of spring training in 2022, but don't expect to see them with the Tigers until they mess up their service time to gain their services for an extra year. So, the kids will continue to come. 

Al Avila is emptying out the farm system so players put up, or shut up. 

You can't blame Al Avila. After the Tigers traded away both Justin Verlander and JD Martinez back in 2018, it was very apparent that the Tigers teams that appeared in two World Series in seven seasons was over. As a matter of fact, the decline of Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez were already in free fall and Avila just popped the already deflated balloon and kicked it down the road. 

   Unlike the NFL draft which is also a crap shoot, the MLB is nearly speculative gambling compared to football players who for the most part, have four years of big time experience. With MLB, high school kids are mixed in with the college players and it makes for spectacular finds and flaming misses. 

   Avila has made a market correction with his picks and has taken stock of all of his picks since 2014. Derek Hill, the first rounder in 2014 was promoted last year and sputtered badly and got another chance earlier this season. He quickly ended up on the injured list and is rehabbing in Toledo. The jury is out on Hill. 
Avila also decided to take stock of his 2015 first round high school selection Beau Burrows. Burrows has largely floundered in the minors and his ceiling found him no higher than the mid minors. Avila cut bait with him earlier the season where the Cubs are trying to find a way to promote him to the big league club. 

   Casey Mize has the best arm in the Tigers organization and this 2018 first rounder was thrown into the fire last season and struggled. After a bumpy start in 2021, he has smoothed his stats out and is getting better to the point of being considered as Detroit's all-star representative, although it went to relief pitcher Gregory Soto. 
The Tigers last two first rounders will most likely get the call next season. Spencer Torkelson, last years first rounder and Riley Greene, the outfielder taken in 2019 could see action late this season when the rosters expand. 
Avila has little cash to spend on veterans and the minor leaguers are getting their trial by fire. Even if they sink in early promotions, both the organization and the players are getting great feedback.
Avila needs to keep the momentum going. His first round selection in 2021 will get a season or two in the minors and then its show time. I thought he might go with Jack Leiter, the mostly polished pitcher from Vanderbilt who is a senior and could plug him in with those already mentioned. The rumor is it will be a high school shortstop or pitcher Jackson Jobe. Those guys will be 2-4 seasons away. Stay tuned. 
The demise of Kyle Busch is premature thank goodness!
What went well and not so well at Pocono

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First of all, a couple of exciting races at Pocono over the weekend. Usually, fuel mileage races are ... Boring. But for this past weekend, they were exciting. The multiple lead changes as cars gambled on a late caution that never came saw drivers that had a shot to win the race fall to a top-ten finish instead of lose valuable points and a 30th finish or worse. NASCAR had a winner of a weekend. They really listened both internally to new voices and the fans who wanted change and got it. Heck, if you are going to take racing dates away from Michigan, Pocono and others that had multiple weekends, then add a second race and some undercard races. Make the CUP races a little shorter and add a Truck or ARCA race in the morning.  More on all of the NASCAR changes another time but the 2021 schedule has been a winner. 
So, here are the winners from the Pocono weekend. 
1. Kyle Busch. Kyle wondered if he was washed up at the top level with a long losing streak dating back to 2020. Well, he gambled and won in the second race. He was driving a wounded car with transmission issues and had to drive very smartly to stay near the lead. Think of your own car having only fourth gear and being stopped at a red light. The lack of a late caution turned Busch into a two-time winner this year. 
-Alex Bowman-Bowman's career has always been tepid until taking over the #48 from the NASCAR HOF to be Jimmie Johnson. He has three wins this season to go along with 5 top fives and ten top tens. Bowman does have three DNF's this year. 
- Kyle Larson won this weekend even though he did not score a win in either or the Pocono races. He was a half-lap short from winning his fifth race in a row when he ran out of gas and finished 8th. In the second race, he finished right behind Kyle Busch for a second place finish. How lucky for Hendrick Motorsports to have arguably the top two talents in the sport with Larson and Chase Elliott. This could be the best racing duel moving forward since Richard Petty and David Pearson dominated their sports. 
The Bad- The bad is taking the week off this week. 

​Cleveland, Ohio – Today the Mid-American Conference announced the All-MAC Teams & Specialty Award selections for the 2020 football season. All of the awards were voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
 

Buffalo junior running back Jaret Patterson was tabbed the winner of the 39th Vern Smith Leadership Award as the top player in the MAC and was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Buffalo Head Coach Lance Leipold was selected as the MAC Head Coach of the Year, while Central Michigan running back Lew Nichols III was named MAC Freshman of the Year. Ball State linebacker Brandon Martin and Central Michigan defensive end Troy Hairston IIshared MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Western Michigan senior wide receiver/kickoff returner D'Wayne "Dee" Eskridge was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Year. 

Patterson is the first player in Buffalo program history to win the prestigious Vern Smith Leadership Award. He is just the second UB player to win MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors, joining former quarterback Tyree Jackson who won the award in 2018.Patterson has assembled a historic season through only five games. He leads the nation in rushing, averaging 203 yards per game and has scored 18 rushing touchdowns, third in the country. With 1,025 yards on the season, the junior running back became just the 12th player in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards in the first five games of the year.
 
Leipold was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. He also won the award in 2018. Leipold has led Buffalo to a 5-0 record and a MAC East Division Championship. The Bulls lead the nation in scoring (51.8 ppg) and rushing yards per game (344.6). He is the first UB head coach to win the honor multiple times. Former head coach Turner Gill won the award in 2007.

Martin, who returned this year after sustaining a season-ending injury in the 2019 opener, ranks fourth nationally with 12.0 tackles per game. The redshirt junior from Indianapolis had 6.5 tackles for loss, including 5.0 in the past three games. Martin is the first Ball State player to win the defensive player of the year honor since Brad Maynard won it as a punter in 1996 and the first traditional defensive player to win the award for BSU since linebacker Greg Garnica did it three straight years from 1987-89.

Hairston leads the MAC in both sacks (5.5) and tackles-for-loss (12). Nationally, he ranks third in tackles-for-loss and 10th in sacks per game. Hairston is the third Chippewa to earn the MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award, joining Dan Bazuin (2005) and Ray Bentley (1982). 
 
Eskridge was one of two players in the league with a kickoff return for a touchdown this season, while his 27.5 yards per kickoff return led the league among players with at least five returns. At receiver, Eskridge led the MAC in receiving yards (784), yards per game (130.7) and receiving touchdowns (eight). It marks the third time in the last five seasons a Bronco has collected Special Teams Player of the Year after Darius Phillips won it in 2016 and '17.

Nichols led the Chippewas with 508 yards rushing and he caught 10 passes for 109 yards and scored five touchdowns. He ranked seventh in the MAC in rushing yards per game (84.7) and was ninth in yards per carry (6.5). Nichols is the sixth Chippewa to earn the MAC Freshman of the Year Award and the first since Antonio Brown in 2007.

TIGER WOODS ANNOUNCES FLINT NATIVE WILLIE MACK III AS RECIPIENT OF THE 2021 CHARLIE SIFFORD MEMORIAL EXEMPTION

LOS ANGELES – Tournament Host Tiger Woods announced Willie Mack III as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into the 2021 Genesis Invitational field. Awarded since 2009, the exemption represents the advancement of diversity in the game of golf.
 
“Willie learned to golf with his dad just like I did and those are memories that will last forever. I am excited to see Willie make another lasting memory when he tees it up at Riviera,” Woods said. “Willie has endured through difficult times off the course the past few years and I know Charlie would be proud of how he has stayed focused on achieving his dream.”
 
Mack, a native of Flint, MI, played college golf at Bethune-Cookman winning 11 titles as a Wildcat. In 2011, Mack became the first African American to win the Michigan Amateur Championship. Mack currently competes on the Advocates Pro Golf Association (APGA) Tour and Florida Professional Golf Tour, earning Player of the Year honors for both tours in 2019.
 
“I want to thank my father who introduced me to the great game of golf,” Mack said. “My dream since I first picked up a club has been to play on the PGA TOUR. It’s really special that I will play in my first PGA TOUR event because of an exemption named after Charlie Sifford, a person I’ve long admired, and in a tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, who is the reason I got into golf.”
 
The start at Riviera during the 2021 Genesis Invitational will be Mack’s first on the PGA TOUR. Mack has previously played on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Tour.
 
Since 2009, the exemption has been given to a golfer representing a minority background to play in the annual PGA TOUR event at Riviera. In 2017, the exemption was re-named to honor the memory of Charlie Sifford, the first African American player to compete on the PGA TOUR. Previous exemption recipients include Vincent Johnson (2009), Joshua Wooding (2010), Joseph Bramlett (2011 & 2020), Andy Walker (2012), Jeremiah Wooding (2013), Harold Varner III (2014), Carlos Sainz, Jr. (2015), J.J. Spaun (2016), Kevin M. Hall (2017), Cameron Champ (2018) and Tim O’Neal (2019).
 
The 2021 Genesis Invitational will be held February 15-21 and broadcast on GOLF Channel and CBS. To enhance the fan experience at home, the tournament is excited to offer games, activities and more to keep viewers engaged with the tournament while watching. Also the Genesis Invitational is taking its family village virtual in 2021 with digital activities, challenges, education resources and more for kids ages 5-12. These fan enhancement elements will be available on GenesisInvitational.com in the coming weeks. About The Genesis Invitational
One of the most historic and longest-running events on the PGA TOUR, The Genesis Invitational celebrates its 95th playing, February 15-21, 2021, at historic Riviera Country Club. With TGR Live serving as the event management company for The Genesis Invitational, the primary benefiting charity is TGR Foundation, with proceeds from the event supporting the foundation’s education programs in Southern California. The tournament’s title sponsor is Genesis, a global luxury automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of performance, design and innovation. For more information about The Ge
 About TGR Live, A Tiger Woods Venture
For more than 20 years, TGR Live has exclusively organized and managed fundraising events supporting the TGR Foundation. It focuses solely on creating amazing experiences for the foundation’s clients at world-class events. TGR Live provides a variety of services including hospitality management, public relations and marketing, tournament operations, and sponsor sales at PGA TOUR and signature events which benefit the foundation. While many TGR Live events are televised, TGR Live does not provide TV or video production. For more information, visit TGRLive.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @TGRLiveEvents.

​Caledonia's Brett White aiming for wire-to-wire win at Michigan Open

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​Acme — Brett White is one day from a wire-to-wire win at the Michigan Open.
White, a left-hander from Caledonia in west Michigan, shot a 1-under 71 and was at 9 under for a one-shot lead on The Bear course at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.
White has led after each of the first three rounds.
"I’ve never led a tournament wire-to-wire yet, but I’ll go out tomorrow and do it,” said White, 27.
A shot back was Chad Kurmel, 49, a teaching pro from Forest Akers at Michigan State in East Lansing. He shot a 5-under 67 on Wednesday.
Three back were defending champion Eric Lilleboe (71) of Okemos and 2020 Michigan PGA Professional champion Ben Cook (73) of Wayland. Cook played in the PGA Championship last month.
It’s not the homecoming Erik Jones expected. 
Just days before NASCAR returned to the Wolverine State for this weekend’s races at Michigan Speedway, word leaked on the internet that the 24-year-old’s contract would not be renewed at Joe Gibbs Racing. 
JGR confirmed the story later Thursday night. Christopher Bell, his fellow Toyota development driver, is expected to replace Jones in the No. 20 team in 2021.
“I greatly appreciate the opportunity that JGR provided me with over the last four years and I wish the team nothing but success and good fortune,” Jones said in the team release. “JGR gave me a solid foundation from which to go out and compete at the highest level and I look forward to building on that in the years to come.”
The Byron, Michigan, racer, the first in a long and tremendously successful list of Toyota proteges, executed the perfect audition when he was just 16 by beating Kyle Busch in the 2012 Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway. Soon after, Jones was recruited by Toyota.
Jones’ meteoric rise through the NASCAR ranks included wins in ARCA and then in the Truck Series—in his fifth start. He was both the youngest driver to win his first race and the championship in the Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series, at ages 17 and 19, respectively. His truck title came during his first full season on the tour. 
Nine races into his Xfinity Series experience, Jones won from the pole at Texas Motor Speedway in the 2015 spring race. The following week, he was recruited to sub for an ailing Denny Hamlin at in the No. 11 Cup car after Hamlin suffered neck spasms during a lengthy rain delay at Bristol. Two years later, Jones graduated to a second car at Furniture Row Racing. The situation was far from ideal. Still, in a freshman class that included Daniel Suarez, Ty Dillon and Corey LaJoie, Jones won 2017 rookie honors handily.
Once he joined the JGR fold in 2018, Jones scored his first Cup win at the July Daytona race. He doubled his top-five results, finished half of his starts in the top 10 and qualified for the Playoffs. In 2019, Jones won again—this time in the prestigious Southern 500 at Darlington—and earned a one-year extension on his contract, even though Bell waiting in the wings as the next young, hot prospect in the Toyota camp. 
Although Jones started the 2020 season by winning the Busch Clash at Daytona, he’s currently 18th in the standings after five top fives and eight top 10s in 20 starts. Since joining JGR, Jones has been overshadowed by veteran teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. His results were better than those of Daniel Suarez during their two seasons together at JGR. Though Busch has yet to win in 2020, Hamlin has won a fourth of this year’s Cup races. Martin Truex Jr. won at Martinsville in June.
Sure, Jones has endured his share of bad luck. But compared with some of his 20-something peers on the Cup tour, Jones has more top-five and top-10 finishes than Alex Bowman, Matt DiBenedetto, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon or Bell. 
Certainly, Bell is a once-in-a-generational talent in whom Toyota has invested handsomely. Under the direction of Jason Ratcliff, who also guided Jones earlier in his career, Bell has made gains in the No. 95 Toyota. His true potential won't become evident until he's under JGR’s roof. 
Perennially, there has been a stark contrast between Jones and the other top Gibbs’ drivers in equal equipment. When drivers such as Carl Edwards or Matt Kenseth entered the stable, both were able to hold their own and win immediately.
That’s not to say that Jones won’t flourish in a different environment, as Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick or Kyle Busch did when they left their previous employers for a fresh start. I would bet on it. 
While Bubba Wallace is the frontrunner for the No. 42 Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, and LaJoie appears headed to the No. 37 JTG Daugherty team, and the replacement plans for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports seat have yet to be determined, Jones could enter any of those situations and make a significant difference.

Brad Keselowski presser talking about his new deal and Covid-19 racing MIS Doubleheader

Notes from Presser
     When MIS visits the Irish Hills this weekend, Michigan hosts two of NASCAR’s finest drivers in Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski, albeit with the drivers going in different career directions. For Jones, it’s the end of the road at Joe Gibbs Racing. Jones had great moments with the team, winning multiple times in his DeWalt #20 Toyota. But the Gibbs team had an itch to scratch and for them, they have been developing Christopher Bell, who has been winning consistently in NASCAR’s undercard series. Jones appreciated his time with the team, “I greatly appreciate the opportunity that JGR provided me with over the last four years and I wish the team nothing but success and good fortune,” Jones said in the team release. “JGR gave me a solid foundation from which to go out and compete at the highest level and I look forward to building on that in the years to come.” Jones is rumored to have several suitors for 2021 when his contract is up at the end of the 2020 season.
As for Brad Keselowski, the former NASCAR 2012 champion has won just about everywhere in NASCAR, but MIS, the site of two shortened races this weekend, has eluded him. Keselowski acknowledged in a reporter scrum that he is part of the big three with Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. “Kevin has done a great job winning and getting points and Denny has also done a great job,” said Keselowski.” Keselowski added that earning points and getting into the championship is one thing, but winning the championship is another.
The Covid-19 reality has been an eye opener in NASCAR with more but shortened races over the course of a week at the track. This affects how teams prepare for the weekend workload. “It put’s an emphasis on having the car right in the first race,” said Keselowski. We have to give the team great feedback from the car. There is a lot of emphasis on giving them (the team) great feedback and debrief the team during and post race.  
      Keselowski believes that NASCAR will change their business model going forward as their has been plenty of experimentation with the schedule, racing double headers and so on and in fact, has already seen far reaching changes. “We have learned from this pandemic we will apply for years to come. I think one of the biggest ones is we used to come to racetracks like Michigan on a Thursday and race until Sunday. That was three-and- a- half-days at the track and I do not see us going back to that model.”
Keselowski said from a race driver perspective that going forward there are a lot more changes going forward from scheduling to the racing itself.
Perhaps NASCAR will apply what worked in the past to bridging to what the consumer wants in the future. One thing is for sure, Keselowski will have an opinion on that. 
​

​Erik Jones has moved over to Richard Petty Racing after winless 2020

Roy J. Akers gets around


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